For the past 24 hours, I’ve been on a mission. I decided that I would flash a smile at every person I made eye contact with. Everyone. Wherever I went.
I learned a few things:
- It isn’t easy
- A lot of people don’t make eye contact
- People are not used to having strangers smile at them for no apparent reason
I am not going to lie; it was awkward. Some people did a double-take before smiling back – and some people didn’t smile back at all (though, they were few).
Mostly, people smiled back at me and seemed to genuinely appreciate that I had acknowledged them. I exchanged a few hellos and how are yous and it felt really good to connect with complete strangers whom I will likely never see again (or remember).
It was an amazing experiment. It felt good to smile for 24 hours. It felt good to make other people smile. It felt good to connect. I recommend it. I will probably do it again tomorrow… and the next day. Maybe not everyone, but everyday!
Smile!
What a fantastic reminder to flash those pearly whites now and then. It really makes a huge difference, and even when it’s not well received, I bet those people still got it. The warmth. It’s good stuff.
Awesome!
I am a very smiley person. I think I actually DO smile at everyone I make eye contact with. I will make a point to notice now.
I like this experiment – keep it up, you have a beautiful smile!
Why, thank you!
What a fun idea. I would have smiled right back.
It’s one thing I miss about living in the south: just about everyone smiles and says hello. Here in the big city, it doesn’t happen as often, but I should try this. It may make my days a lot better.
It had a huge affect on my day. It was awesome.
That’s a great idea. I’m going to try it starting with my husband and girls. I think they see me frown much too often for no reason. Next stop – strangers!
Yeah, I frown a lot, too. My relaxed face looks more like a scowl than a smile. It was a huge effort for me to think about smiling all day!
This is a fantastic operation; I’m doing this tomorrow. And I will have plenty of opportunities to flash my retainer-clad smile.
Yay! Glad to have inspired you. And…welcome!
Of course I’m smiling now. How fun is that!
As I walk my dog pretty much EVERY day, I too smile at people. It isn’t something I think about doing, I just do it. But I do notice people’s reactions to it. Some do respond in kind and mean it, some smile back as if to placate the crazy lady pushing a stoller and walking what looks to be a scary dog (but isn’t) and some just avert their eyes and walk on. Though I’ve been known to do that as well.
Good for you to make the effort to do something you wouldn’t normally do.