Sam walks into a room with a straight face. No hint of a smile. A bit of a sigh as he sits down in front of his peers. Virtually no eye contact.
Greg walks into a room, makes eye contact with everyone, smiles, says hello, asks how everyone is doing, maybe even chuckles here and there.
Based on those two scenarios, who would you rather meet?
In fact, here is a better question:
Who would you rather work with?
The way you present yourself can and will have a positive or negative effect on how others perceive you, and the scenarios we just mentioned should be a clear example.
Smiling, quite literally, is the universal sign for happiness!
So what else can smiling do?
- Forcing yourself to smile can boost your mood: Psychologists have found that even if you’re in bad mood, you can instantly lift your spirits by forcing yourself to smile.
- It boosts your immune system: Smiling really can improve your physical health, too. Your body is more relaxed when you smile, which contributes to good health and a stronger immune system.
- Smiles relieve stress: Your body immediately releases endorphins when you smile, even when you force it. This sudden change in mood will help you feel better and release stress.
- It’s easier to smile than to frown: Scientists have discovered that your body has to work harder and use more muscles to frown than it does to smile.
Still don’t believe us?
We have a test that we want you to try this week. We want you to put some energy towards remembering to smile today at the office. Every time you walk by your colleague, or walk into a meeting, we want you to remember to smile. Doesn’t matter if this is the first time you meet someone, or you are simply seeing the same co-workers you see every day.
At the end of the day, reflect on how it all went.
- When you smiled, did it make you feel good?
- Did the person smile back?
- Was the remainder of the conversation (if any) positive feeling?
- Did it seem like the work environment changed?
- Did you find that smiling more was a bit contagious?
If you think smiling is effective, just think about the power of laughing. We dare you to watch this video without giggling in your chair.
At Vibecatch, we also promote smiling. Smiling is contagious. Smiling is the universal sign for happiness. Do yourself a favor and remember to smile. It's these little things that can have a huge impact on your company culture.
Ready to take your employee engagement to the next level?
