The 2 SeConD SMilE!

The 2 Second Smile

‘SMILE! It costs nothing’ has been a well known statement since long. However, clearly it does not have the appeal of ‘Smile, you’re on Candid Camera’. One might wonder what ‘Candid Camera’ has that ‘free’ does not; Well, it’s the smile itself. Smile for free sounds like a task whereas smile for camera lets you see smiles, lets people relate to you, reminds you of different memories and hence kind of makes you happy.

Ah well, there is no doubt that Smile is one of the most underrated of our expressions although it is one of the most readily accessible of emotions and with loads of benefits and yes! At no cost. Let us first see the possible benefits of smiling so as to understand why smile at all. For our convenience and emphasis, let us divide the benefits into Internal and External.

Internal Benefits: According to research, it boots our immune system, lowers heart rate, relaxes the body, lifts the mood by releasing happy chemical (serotonin), lowers BP, and also gives a natural high. Hell, one research even says that loving smile can produce same emotional response as 2000 chocolate bars.

External Benefits: It helps people connect with you much better and vice versa, makes you look more attractive and trust worthy, improves perceptions about you, and makes you look younger.

Well these are only few of the more researched and well proven benefits of smiling and we can be rest assured that they are many more.

So the 2 second smile if a life style choice which is not only practical and doable but would ensure that you get much more than the above benefits and that too free of cost. So the next time you see a person, look them in the eye and throw a slow genuine smile (Duchenne) at them for 1-2 seconds. Do it for every person that you say hi to or you are greeting in anyway. Try this for at least a week and experience the wonderful changes within you and around you.

Remember, smiling is one language which is understood similarly universally. Practice smiling on a daily basis with others or by yourself and feel and experience the amazing change within and around you.

Let my soul smile through my heart and my heart smile through my eyes, that I may scatter rich smiles in sad hearts.-Paramahansa Yogananda