Do You Smile at Strangers?

"When I moved to the Pacific Northwest, beauty and purified air abounded. But "sky-gray" suddenly became the most prevalent color, everywhere. (It's OK, that's what keeps everything green, clean, and fresh.) People keep heads down and hoodies up, umbrellas blooming. They tend not to smile in public. We get out light boxes come October (they work, and here's how), and extra clothing as well. Layers. Upon layers."

"I was determined to find out. In a not-particularly-scientific, one-person experiment, I've been smiling at as many strangers (and people I know, for that matter) as I can. Suddenly, gray skies started to feel bluer, and I feel more connected to the world; more social. Sharing smiles can be contagious-the other person generally smiles back, and a little zap of dopamine sparks, no words necessary. My personal smile experiment may lack scientific rigor, but other researchers have shown smiling has power:"

"Fake it till you make it. Posing the muscles in your face into a smile doesn't make you a poser. Consciously making yourself smile increases feelings of happiness you already have, and can initiate positive feelings as well. If you're grumpy because the barista is grumpy, you can smile and feel better (they might, also). This happiness effect is nothing huge, but it's significant. Smile more, consistently, and you'll notice."

Smiling influences emotional states through facial feedback, a hypothesis supported by studies conducted for over a century and research across the globe. Regional climates and social norms affect public smiling frequency and may relate to seasonal mood differences and depression prevalence. Deliberately forming a smile can increase existing feelings of happiness and initiate positive emotions, producing modest but significant effects. Smiles are socially contagious, often prompting reciprocal smiles and small dopamine releases that enhance social connection. Individual informal experiments suggest mood improvements from increased smiling, while researchers report measurable benefits from intentional smiling.

Read at Psychology Today