Let’s say you’re greeting your staff, your board, or your audience. What’s the first thing you want to do? Smile! (Unless, of course, you’re specifically addressing a difficult or grief-filled situation.)

Why smile? So many reasons. 

  • A smile communicates friendliness, openness, warmth, welcome, and confidence. It transmits goodwill and interest in the person or people sharing the space with you. It says, I’m available and want to get to know you!
  • Smiling makes you and everyone else feel good. Studies have shown that smiling releases endorphins. These brain chemicals elevate our mood, relax our body, and reduce physical pain. The energy of your smile influences your audience to feel those same positive emotions. In a 30-year longitudinal study performed by UC Berkley, researchers examined the smiles of students in an old yearbook and measured their well-being and success throughout their lives. The widest smilers consistently ranked highest in tests of well-being, general happiness, and inspiring others.
  • Smiling can lengthen your life. Wayne State University examined baseball card photos of Major League players in 1952. The study found that the span of a player’s smile could actually predict the span of his life – 72.9 years versus 79.9. Not bad.

 It’s important to be sincere. We might not be able to put our finger on it, but we sense when a smile is inauthentic, at least most of the time, which can leave us questioning the person’s intentions. When our smiles are authentic, we communicate emotional safety. Our audience can breathe a sigh of relief. 

So, to smile or not to smile? There really is no question. How you show up matters. The next time you have a Zoom meeting or a real one, open with a smile. Your audience, colleagues, friends, and family — the whole world – matter. Be the one who reminds them of that. It starts with a smile!