LAST week, in a local supermarket, I was served at the checkout by a woman who, despite my attempts at light-hearted banter, was positively hostile, glowering back at me across the packs of stir fry and noodles.
“You’ll be lucky to get anything out of her - she never cracks a smile,” said the shopper in front of me, who had also encountered the woman’s unfriendly demeanor.
I’m in and out of supermarkets all the time and, I must say, that sort of behaviour by checkout operators is rare. Most are lovely, greeting me with a smile.
It costs nothing to smile and it’s good for us: smiling releases endorphins - the body’s natural mood boosters - and reduces stress. It’s also uplifting to be on the receiving end of a smile. If I’m driving and another motorist lets me out at a junction with a smile, it makes me feel good. That feeling may be only momentary, but it’s there all the same.
Today is Share a Smile Day, an international day dedicated to spreading happiness through simple acts of kindness. Created in 2005, it was introduced as a way of reminding everyone that even the smallest gestures, such as a smile, can make someone's day brighter.
Smiling also makes people appear more approachable and trustworthy. A friendly smile can mean a lot to whoever is on the receiving end. You don’t even have to show your teeth - we haven’t all got gnashers like Rylan Clark, and you don’t want to come across like Jack Nicholson in The Shining.
Just a little rising of the lips - a tad more than Mona Lisa - can speak volumes.
People often finish emails and Facebook messages with a smiley face, which - whether you like emojis or not - is a feelgood gesture which helps endear the sender to the recipient. There are plenty of different versions to choose from, and people don’t hold back. But do those same people readily smile in real life?
Smiling can put people at their ease. A doctor or dentist who greets you with a smile, puts you in a more comfortable frame of mind during your appointment. There's a GP at our practice whose scowl is set in stone - not what you want when seeking sympathy and kindness.
Smiling has benefits we would never normally become aware of. Researchers from Ulster University in Ireland asked 24 runners to complete four six-minute treadmill sessions. On one they frowned, then they focused on relaxing their hands and upper body, on another session they ran normally and on another run they smiled.
Fourteen of the participants saw the most improvement in performance while smiling. So if you want to slash seconds or even minutes slashed off your time during a marathon, make sure you’re grinning.
There have been studies claiming smiling may help to lower blood pressure, boost the immune system and relive pain. There’s even been research that associates the intensity of people’s smiles in early photographs, with a longer life.
It’s not always easy to smile, especially when life is getting you down. It must be hard to have to wear a smile all the time, whatever you feel like. I’m exhausted just watching Kate Middleton, whose fixed grin is never absent.
But, however much you smile, it costs nothing. So maybe Share a Smile Day is the time to flash a few smiles when opportunities arise and see how good it makes you feel.
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