The Power of A Smile!

Have any of you ever noticed how a smile can literally transform someone's face??

Sometimes I would walk around with a scowl on my face, and I used to think "Yeah, whatever!" when people would say "Smile!"

There's an anonymous young lady at my school who, for whatever reason, decided to smile at me one day while in the library. Plenty of men and women strangers pass me all the time, glance at my face, and continue right on with nary a reaction.... but for some reason (??) she decided to acknowledge my presence with a smile. I smiled right back, which is standard for me. Generally, I like "connecting" with people even if just for a couple of seconds.

Now it's sort of a routine when we notice one another. We are kind of like The Mysterious Strangers who never speak but simply smile in silence and keep moving. We have no other connection. No classes together; no mutual friends; nada.

Anyway... I just thought it was interesting how her face was transformed. She is not super pretty and has the bad luck to have major acne. When I've seen her concentrating on her work and ignoring me, she looks rather severe and not friendly AT ALL. :eek:

But with that smile, her face lights up, and I think "Whoa! Hello, cutie-pie!"


What's your take on smiles?

Are you a smile-junkie?? :D

Do you welcome smiles from strangers or do they creep you out?

Is this more of a West Coast thing or is it seen all over the USA?

Can you be a good flirt without smiling or is it essential?

Do you find yourself having to force a smile or does it come naturally?

I think I'm pretty much a smile-junkie, Harrison. Unless things in my life really, really are tough, I can find something to smile about. I work with children, and I'll tell ya, if you need a reason to smile, they offer many!

Just tonight when J came over after his night class, he hugged me and said, "You are SO beautiful!!!".

Ha! I pointed out to him that I was in my old sweats (the ones with the elastic nearly gone from the waist), in slouchy socks, my hair was up in a messy bun to keep it out of my face while I loaded the dishwasher,etc.

He replied, "It's your SMILE!!" :D

I think the most attractive thing is to see the person you love smile at you (with that love-connection in their eyes). They could look like ANYTHING on the outside, but their eyes scream beauty as they reflect love back to you.

I'm changing my avatar to my smiley one!:)

What's your take on smiles?

Are you a smile-junkie?? :D Yes. People who know me often comment to me that I seem to smile all the time. Now, when I'm in my "zone" at work, sometimes I have to remind myself to smile for my employees because they sometimes think I am being too serious at work. So, I try my best to make sure that they see me smiling when I interact with them. My favorite feeling in the world is to see my children smiling and laughing. Nothing better than that.

Do you welcome smiles from strangers or do they creep you out? I love it when strangers smile at me. I think it's a sign that there is goodness and love still out there in this world.

Is this more of a West Coast thing or is it seen all over the USA? Where I live in the midwest, life is laid back and people are generally friendly with each other. It's not only common for people to smile at each other, most people say "how you doing?" and even stop and chit chat together.

Can you be a good flirt without smiling or is it essential? A smile is essential when flirting.

Do you find yourself having to force a smile or does it come naturally? As I mentioned, the only time I may have to force myself to smile is during the work day or if I don't feel well. But, otherwise, in my "natural state" smiling comes naturally to me. In fact, laughter comes naturally to me.

I have been told the same thing, that I can look quite severe if I don't smile....but when I smile it all changes.

I think I smile pretty often, just because it's nice to and I like making people laugh. I was walking down the street thinking of something, and I guess I was smiling, because this woman smiled back. It was just very nice. I don't think she would have otherwise. Then, a boy was going to a car in football gear, all muddy from the field, and it was funny how muddy he was and I had to smile, and he broke out into this big satified 'arent-i-muddy' smile too. :)

It's contagious!

Actually thats my nickname.. "smiley"

I love to smile and I love for people to smile at me. I make it a point to smile at strangers. I love to see someone who looks "down in the dumps" return a smile to me. You never know what a person has on their mind and giving them a smile could change their whole perspective for the day.
Can I be a good flirt without smiling or is it essential? I would say....When I am flirty, I am allllllllll about smiles. For me, yep, it's essential.:D
Oh and smiling comes natural for me. But I do believe in forcing a smile if I have to.

i don't smile.


i grin.

and that seems to be how folks know something's bothering me....when i'm not grin'n.

i smile like dis -----> :D unless i'm asleep.

I think I'm pretty much a smile-junkie, Harrison. Unless things in my life really, really are tough, I can find something to smile about....

Special K,

I am the same way when around folks I know. I have a great -- and kooky -- sense of humor. I love to laugh, and even though my jokes sometimes fall flat, I am usually full of good cheer. So to me, smiles feed right into all that. :)

I love it when strangers smile at me. I think it's a sign that there is goodness and love still out there in this world...

Whiterose,

I lean in that direction myself. I would say it brightens my day when strangers smile at me. It is just more comforting than being ignored or having someone look right through you. On the other hand, I perfectly understand women not smiling -- because often they don't want to give guys the wrong idea.

I smile the most for those I know or see regularly like the young lady mentioned above. It would be nice to put on a smile for everyone, but I'm afraid that's a bit much for me. I compromise and switch it on for folks I directly interact with like the supermarket cashier or a neighbor getting on the elevator with me in my building, etc.

I love to smile. In fact, my mother wrote in my baby book that I always had a ready smile. It's kind of hard for me NOT to smile at people, it's such a natural instinct. I know, this is very hard for you all to believe.

I do, however, know this girl who smiles ALL THE TIME, for no reason. She'll be explaining something, even something gruesome, and she'll smile about it. She has a nickname that people call her that isn't very nice. "Smiley Beatch." I guess too much of a good thing is never good. :D

When I'm not doing anything in particular, my face is neutral, neither frowning nor smiling (even though I might be quite happy). But if I see someone I like, I'll definitely smile.:) And if I'm really amused by something, I'll put on a big @*$#-eating grin!:D It would be a lousy day if I didn't smile or grin at least a couple of times.

I will not, however, force myself to smile. I'll only smile when genuine happiness breaks out and flows across my face. And if someone tells me to smile, well, I'll probably scowl! :mad: I really like to be authentic when it comes to emotions and expressing emotions.

I love it when I catch a woman smiling at me. That will definitely elicit a smile from me in return! I can't imagine flirting getting going without smiling. (BTW Karen, GREAT new avatar! J has every reason in the world to smile!)

Big smiler here, too -- I kinda think I look like a toothy horse but other people say I've got a great smile... I wouldn't necessarily agree with that but it's like Trace said: folks know something's *really* wrong if I'm not smiling :D

i think i have a nice outward appearance but i had stopped smiling for years, i think it did effect my overall presence, last week i ran into my exhusband's best friend and for what ever reason, i remember smiling quite alot in the conversation, first because he is truly a nice guy or at least was very kind to me when we split up, but he kept saying how good i looked.

i did not go into the fact that i was re-married or happy and in love, i did comment on my grandchildren and my brokers license since he asked where i was working.

i walked away actually feeling the light i projected, i was no longer depressed and washed out, i was alive and healthy and happy and i showed it.

a smile and an attitude is very important, its not always easy to have a sunny disposition but our attitude and our smile drastically CAN change the impression we give off to people.

I always feel better when I smile, and for that matter laugh. I try to do that on a regular basis. You know you can feel a smile through the phone ??? I try always to feel happy when I speak with people ...

Smiles ARE infectious ... let's all plan on trying to start an epidemic ... lol.

Smiles ya all ...

princessdy

I have some crooked teeth and a slight overbite and that's AFTER braces (wisdom teeth came in and ruined all the work) and so I'm a little shy of a big smile but I still smile often when I'm communicating with people and I do find it makes a difference.

Also, when they smile at me.

In an interesting turn for me today I, for the first time, laughed out loud while calling a customer and became slightly more animated than my previous calls while we had our brief discussion.

He had answered the phone with an outburst of positive energy by shouting, "HELLO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" with an obviously overwhelming expression of joy. Then he answered everything I asked as though I had just promised to make all his dreams come true.

It was so overwhelming that I laughed during the phone call.

Well, not too sure about the smiling but I seem to laugh a lot... Not because I am hysterically happy or anything. Some things just strike me as extremely funny :D People smiling at me in the street usually makes me happy and my natural instinct is always to smile back...have to be careful in some parts of the world though...

However when I just feel neutral, people often wonder what's wrong and this bothers, sometimes annoys, me. Maybe I am just hard to read or my neutral face comes off as really serious/sad :confused: And laughter is not necessarily an indication of bliss, is it? Even though it can be...Anyone else who have felt the same way? Bothered by being asked what's wrong when you are just fine, simply not grinning?

And yes, it is truly amasing how a smile can transform a face!

But a smile that does not reach the eyes is terrifying.