Have you smiled today? (It may make all the difference)

Ron Gutman is an expert on an unusual subject: smiling.  In his research, he found that people who smile (wide and often) are significantly more successful and tend to live longer, healthier lives than those who do not.   Smiling also has the power to encourage, unite, and inspire.  Several studies indicate that smiling is contagious.When someone smiles at us, we are likely to respond in kind and feel a boost in our mood besides.

He points out that we are born smiling and some children smile as often as 400 times per day.  By the time we reach adulthood, 2/3 of us smile less than 20 times each day.  Perhaps if we all made an effort to smile more often (and at each other), the world would be a more pleasant place in which to live.  Especially during this long, brutal winter, smiling more often couldn't hurt!

Take a few minutes to watch this video; I guarantee you'll think about smiling in a whole new light.