Can't Laugh? Try Smiling!

"Smiles" is the longest, shortest, and quickest word in the English language.

It's the longest because there is a mile between the first and last letter. It's also the shortest because a smile is an instant communicator. And it's the quickest because a smile is the easiest way to get out of your doldrums.

On the surface, the simple act of turning up the corners of your mouth provides an instant connection between you and a stranger. There are no language barriers when you are smiling. It has been said that a smile on your face is a light to let someone know that you are at home.

On a deeper level, when you are smiling you are also triggering happier memories within your body. According to a study by Clark University, it doesn't matter whether you are smiling for real or faking it. A phony smile is as good for you as a genuine one.

That is why Dr. David Bresler, former director of the pain control unit at the University of California in Los Angeles, prescribes two smiles a day to his patients in pain. Each day they must face themselves in the mirror and smile.

The hardest thing you can do is smile when you are ill, in pain, or depressed. But this no-cost remedy is a necessary first half-step if you are to start on the road to recovery.

Smiling can not only help you get well but also stay well. According to Dr. John Diamond, author of Your Body Doesn't Lie, smiling increases the flow of thymus secretion necessary for a balanced immune system. Moreover, he noted that just viewing a smiling face gives you more life energy.

For some people, it literally pays to smile. Smiling waitresses boast of getting bigger tips than non-smiling ones, and thugs report not robbing stores with grinning counter clerks.

It all goes to support that song from the Broadway show Annie, "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile."

You can find more to smile about in the AHH Message Center.

Copyright 1996, Allen Klein