World Smile Day
In honor of World Smile Day we want to go through the history of the namesake holiday, the smiley face, as well as why smiling is so important not only in the world, but especially in the disability community. Seeing as our mission is to bring joy and smiles to the faces of people everywhere, we understand the power of a simple smile! Next time you’re not feeling like you have a lot to smile about, remember these fun smile facts!
Every smile counts.
Nothing beats a smile of pure joy, which is why some of the best smiles we see are from children. In fact, one young child with Down Syndrome has taken to modeling! Smiley Riley, a four year old boy from Rochester, Kent has been featured in various modeling campaigns because of his signature smile. And Riley’s not the only child who loves smiling. In a Washington Post article highlighting the way many children with disabilities feel when faced with strangers around them, they deduce that “When approaching a child with a disability, the best policy is ‘Smile, Don’t Stare’.” When asked what they wish people would do, responses were quite simple! Ranging from “I wish people would play with me instead of my equipment” to “I wish people would be nice to me”. It seems like many children with special needs feel the expressions on the faces of people looking at them, and when they’re not smiling it can be quite harmful. So next time you're out and see a child with disabilities, don’t stare- smile! Maybe even ask a question or strike up a casual conversation.
2. Don’t underestimate the power of a smile!
While it’s absolutely not necessary to get into the habit of forcing yourself to smile every time you leave the house, it’s also not a bad idea to get on board with faking it sometimes. Faking a smile often has the same effect as if you were really smiling and can boost your endorphin levels, making you more open and susceptible to a real smile! Once you feel that real smile come in, it can help those around you too. When you see someone you care about smile, the center of your brain can’t help but react with a smile of your own. Just like a yawn, smiles are contagious!
3. It’s ok not to smile.
We know the various hardships families face every year, not to mention any added schedules and tasks for those with various disabilities. One mom took to her blog to explain how exhausting it is, not necessarily from taking care of her children, but from having to pretend to be happy all the time! Smiling and feeling like you have to appear happy all the time isn’t limited to mothers and those with disabilities - studies show that this is an all- American thing! On an episode of “the pulse” podcast on happiness, featuring Dr. Jeanne Tsai, Director of the Stanford Culture and Emotion Lab, she says there is an unspoken pressure in America to appear happy and smile more often, even stating “ A lot of immigrants have talked to me about how exhausting it is being in the United States, because you have to smile all the time.” While there is an increasingly large pressure on us to present ourselves with a smile, for mothers with hundreds of other things on their minds, forcing a smile should be the last thing on their mind. Don't force yourself to smile all the time, as it can be exhausting and take away from your real smile and feelings of happiness.
World Smile Day was put in place by the original smiley face designer, Harvey Ball, to devote one day out of the year to spreading joy and smiles. We like to think he would greatly approve of our mission, and this World Smile Day we hope everyone is inspired to spread some joy through their smiles!
If you need some smiling material, check out more from our teddy bear blog!