Most people think that we smile because we feel happy, but it can go the other way as well: we feel happy because we smile.

Now, it is hard to say which came first, the smile or happiness that it yields. Considering a smile causes happiness, and the feeling of being happy causes us to smile, it can be tough to trace.

Whether or not this really matters is also up in the air. The results, regardless of which one caused the other, is being happy.

A smile is the World’s most powerful gesture, and considering how many gestures there are, that speaks volumes!

A smile is a universal indicator that happiness is among us, and the spirit of joy is present. It becomes hard to see past it all and realize that good still exists in this World.

A smile reminds you that it is there, and is still alive in your spirit. It is a reflection reminding you of what life is all about, the simple things.

It is about learning to see the beauty in simplicity and being grateful for all that you do have. It is about doing good, lifting your fellow men and women, and raising their spirits.

No matter the differences we may have, whether it be our backgrounds, religious beliefs, sexual orientation or race, we can all agree that a smile symbolizes joy, laughter, contentment and Love, for the most part.

Like most things, there is an exception to this rule.

A smile is what is keeping us all going, even if we ourselves are not aware of it. At one time or another, a smile has assisted in propelling you into a better state of mind.

A positive state of mind allows one the ability to see the World in a different light, with a positive outlook that allows us to shine that light where the darkness continues to dwell.

Smiling can change your brain, your brain keeps track of your smiles, kind of like a smile scorecard. It knows how often you have smiled and which overall emotional state you are in therefore.

Smiling reduces stress that your body and mind feel, similar to getting good sleep. Smiling helps to generate more positive emotions within you.

That is why we often feel happier around children – they smile more. On average, they do so 400 times a day. Whilst happy people still smile 40-50 times a day, the average of us only does so 20 times.

We had goldfish and they circled around and around
in the bowl on the table near the heavy drapes
covering the picture window and
my mother, always smiling, wanting us all
to be happy, told me, ‘Be happy Henry!’
and she was right: it’s better to be happy if you
can
but my father continued to beat her and me several times a week while
raging inside his 6-foot-two frame because he couldn’t
understand what was attacking him from within. 

my mother, poor fish,
wanting to be happy, beaten two or three times a
week, telling me to be happy: ‘Henry, smile!
why don’t you ever smile?’ 

and then she would smile, to show me how, and it was the
saddest smile I ever saw 

one day the goldfish died, all five of them,
they floated on the water, on their sides, their
eyes still open,
and when my father got home he threw them to the cat
there on the kitchen floor and we watched as my mother
smiled