A Superpower We All Possess

Like a rising tide, a smile can lift all boats

A warm, genuine smile can be contagious, improving moods and spreading good feelings to all around us. Fei Meng

Search online for “tips for job interviews” and you’ll find many of the sites offering the same advice: Dress appropriately, stand tall, speak clearly, pay attention, maintain eye contact, shake hands firmly, ask questions, show some enthusiasm—and bring a smile.

Some studies have demonstrated that first impressions are formed not in minutes, not even in seconds, but in the blink of an eye. In “How Many Seconds to a First Impression?” Eric Wargo reported that researchers showed participants photographs of unfamiliar people for less than a second, then asked them to judge that person’s character. Their answers strongly correlated with participants who underwent the same test without these time constraints. In other words, whether accurate or not, first impressions lead to snap judgments and quick conclusions.

This study came to mind the other day when a round of errands took me to the county tax office, the post office, the grocery store, a coffee shop, and a gift shop on Main Street. In only one of these establishments did an employee give a positive first impression. The young woman in the gift shop wore jeans and a flannel shirt, her hair could have used some time with a brush, and she sported a tattoo on her wrist, but her smile as I approached the sales counter coupled with her bright “Hey there!” were sunshine on that cloudy day.

That clerk’s smile brought to mind a lesson taught to me years ago while waiting tables in a Charlottesville, Virginia, restaurant. You were there to make a customer’s meal pleasant, not drag them into your own mood. If you wanted larger tips, you left your problems at the door, became an actor, and brought a smile along with the menu to the table.

The power of a smile is well-known. A glum sales rep might as well have stayed in bed, which is why some companies instruct their employees to put on an authentic smile when dealing with the public. Excited parents call their friends when their infant smiles for the first time—“He’s so cute! You should see him!” Most of us have passed a stranger who slipped us a smile, and we not only smiled back but felt a little extra lilt in our step.

Smiling is also good for us. It likely lowers blood pressure, boosts the immune system, and, if we’re genuinely happy, may even help us live longer. In “10 Big Benefits of Smiling,” Mark Stibich writes that “smiling helps you stay positive.”

“Try this test: Smile. Now try to think of something negative without losing that smile. It’s hard, isn’t it?” he wrote.

Just for sport, I accepted Stibich’s challenge, smiled, thought “The world is going to Hades in a handbasket,” and burst out laughing.

Smiling benefits others as well. Next time you come home from work, bring a smile to your spouse, children, or roommate and see what happens. That simple act may offer them a bright moment on an otherwise tough day. Try the same thing when you enter the workplace, and kick the day off right.

Smiling changes our whole demeanor. Sometimes, you can even “hear” a friend smiling as they speak with you on the phone. When film star Paul Newman smiled, that handsome face crinkled up and those blue eyes sparkled. That man made smiling an art.

What more could you ask? A smile costs you nothing, keeps you healthy, brings a jolt of hope and joy to others, and wins hearts.

Oh, and one more thing (a joke):

“I decided to make sure my mom woke up with a big smile this morning.

“Now she won’t let me play with Sharpies anymore.”

So, did you smile?

If so, there you go. That’s the concept.