Evening temperatures drop, and chilly air promises autumn is approaching. My neighbors ignite their firepit and raise a glass to toast the day. I light a candle to celebrate my favorite time of year. Candles have a soothing effect. Their yummy scents fill the house, calm my mind, and they make me smile.
With the requirements we wear masks when we can’t be physically distant, there is one thing I have missed — smiles. When you smile, the world smiles in return. A Swedish study revealed when test subjects were shown an image of a smiling person and the researcher asked them to frown, the subjects imitated the face in the photo, smiling instead of frowning. Your smile is contagious, and it changes everything.
A smile makes us more attractive, lift our mood and the moods of other people, and it extends our life expectancy. Yes. Smiling can actually help you live longer. And can we talk about the exceptional party a smile gets rolling? Smiling floods our brains with neuropeptides, dopamine, endorphins, and serotonin. Drugs, baby. They are all-natural, 100% organic, create no negative side effects, don’t require a doctor prescription or a dealer, — and wait for it — they are FREE.
Buddha was a smart man. By sharing a smile, you get tremendous benefits, and you can transmit happiness to random strangers. Chances are, they will smile at the next person they meet. These days I go out my way to substitute my unseeable, masked smile with other uplifting gestures, I give others the thumbs up, and I wave to everyone. My neighborhood walkers were initially suspicious, but they are now returning my visible greetings. And I can now detect a twinkle in their eyes. With any luck, a smile-chain may travel around the world today.
Are you smiling yet?
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Keep on writing.
Jo Hawk The Writer
Jo Hawk 
I miss seeing smiles too! But yes one can smile with their eyes and give thumbs up! Good post! Keep smiling! And thanks for the smile! 🙂
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I am more than happy to share. 😊👍
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😊
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Only the other day I was thinking about the absence of smiles and not being able to see a person’s mouth when they speak, and what a difference it makes to communication. We must rely on the expression in people’s eyes as well as the tone of their voice and it’s not the same somehow…
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Communication really suffers without the full range of expressions an unmasked face provides. Voices are muffled, and I have noticed people resort to shouting to be heard through their mask. It lends an entirely different dynamic to conversations. I am looking forward to the time when we can interact without facial coverings. 😷
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Me too…
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Reblogged this on Anita Dawes & Jaye Marie ~ Authors.
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Thank you for sharing. 😷💗
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A smile is such a welcoming gesture. It sends a positive signal to all. Nice post.
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Thank you, my friend. I hope you have a great day. 😊
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Pingback: In these Crazy Times, Sharing Your Smile Can Improve A Life – Daily Quote — Jo Hawk – yazım'yazgısı (typography)
Reblogged this on The Reluctant Poet.
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Thank you for sharing. 💕💗💕
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Always happy to read and share your posts with followers, My Dear!!
xoxo
😘💕🌹
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