In 1988 Professor Fritz Strack experimented with the perceived happiness of people when reading a cartoon.

Two groups read the same cartoon – one group had each to hold a pencil in their teeth without lips touching, the other group had to hold a pencil between their lips with no teeth contact.

Guess which group ‘felt’ happier?

Have you tried it yet?

Research shows that smiling releases feel-good neurochemicals and it triggers our social-emotional brain to respond positively. Smiles are contagious.

 

Enjoy this poem by Spike Milligan

 

Smiling Is Infectious

Smiling is infectious, you catch it like the flu,
When someone smiled at me today,
I started smiling too.
I passed around the corner, and someone saw my grin.
When he smiled I realised,
I’d passed it on to him.
I thought about that smile, then I realised its worth.
A single smile, just like mine,
could travel round the earth.
So, if you feel a smile begin, don’t leave it undetected.
Let’s start an epidemic quick,
and get the world infected!