Thanks Charlie Chaplin! … I am musing on smiling because it’s National History Day! It was founded in 2018 by Dr. Tim Stirneman and Jim Wojdyla, who are associated with Compassionate Dentalcare. They created this day to highlight the importance of a healthy smile and its positive effects on confidence, health, and overall well-being. However, back in the 1700’s many European countries also did so. It was fun to dive into the history of the ‘smile’ and I think you’ll like some of it and I certainly hope this puts a “smile on your face” today! Here goes…

The history of the smile can be traced back to monkeys and apes! They bare their teeth in a facsimile of a smile to show dominance or warn off predators and the theory is that humans copied this behavior as well. Over time, the smile evolved to show amusement, joyfulness and yes, a smile was a way of attracting a mate! However…one would think a smile should be wonderful, but in the early 1700-1800, people did not have dentistry thus the sour-puss smile. The aristocratic perception said a smile or laugh showed a lack of self-control or good manners! Wow, what a sour-puss smile they had, ugh.

So, how do we celebrate this National Smile Day is to smile and add good cheer and grace with others. Here are 5 fun facts about how important a smile really is…

  1. Smiling is less taxing than frowning; it takes more muscles to frown than it does to smile!
  2. Babies are better at smiling than adults; they smile over 400 times—adults about 20!
  3. Babies can fake it too! At 9 months, they learned to offer fake smiles to strangers!
  4. Our brains know when a smile is fake because they automatically mimic the smile we see!
  5. Laugh for the heck of it. A study on why people laugh found that 80-90% of all laughter is in response to simple statements like “It was nice meeting you”, or “I’ll see you later.”
  6. Smiles hold power that creates a temporary bond between the people sharing a smile.
  7. Smiles have health benefits. The more we smile, the healthier our brains become. Smiles create happiness that reduces stress, blood pressure, heart rate and pain! And smiling can even increase endurance, strengthen our immune system and keep the cells in our body happy and healthy.
  8. It is said that “A Smile is the best accessory” and it’s true. Smiling shifts our mood, gives us confidence, and silly smiles can change an attitude within a few seconds! WOW!

So, what does Scripture say about smiles? More than you’d think. Here’s a few from the Message and Easy to Read Versions…

“When you see them coming you’ll smile – big smiles! Your heart will swell and, yes, burst! All those people returning by sea for the reunion, a rich harvest of exiles gathered in from the nations!” [Isaiah 60:5 MSG] “A smile sparkles in the eyes and makes people happy. Good news makes them feel better.” [Proverbs 13:30] “If you look to him for help, he will put a smile on your face. You will have no need to be ashamed.” [Psalms 34:5] “If you are happy, your face shows it. If you are sad, your spirit feels defeated. People are happy when they give a good answer. And there is nothing better than the right word at the right time with a smile on your face.” [Proverbs 15:13-23]   

Charlie Chaplain’s song Smile [the 2nd stanza]: “Light up your face with gladness Hide every trace of sadness Although a tear may be ever so near That’s the time you must keep on trying Smile what’s the use of crying You’ll find that life is still worthwhile If you’ll just Smile” is a gift to us. He was a man of deep faith and he portrayed themes of human dignity, empathy, and kindness that reflected with his Christian faith. Jesus smiled so we should, too. So, let our faith light up the sadness and sorrow because indeed—life is still worthwhile if you just SMILE! AMEN.