Day 9 in the 10 Days of Happiness: Smile More and Learn to Laugh at Yourself

Did you know that the average child smiles more than 400 times a day? Can you guess the number for the average adult? If you say 14 times per day, you have either seen this study before or you're not smiling enough!  

Somewhere along the road, adults start instructing children to stop smiling or laughing unless there is a specific reason. Donna Marie Laino, a Health Educator in the Body/Mind/Spirit and a Certified Laughter Leader explain one of the reasons why children can manage stress better than adults: They smile it away. You are right! We had a lot of laugh today.

Some of the benefits of smiling or laughing include:

• Improve health, since smiling helps you fight illnesses and improves your immune system.
• Smiling is like turning on a light switch. Smiling sends positive energy to the people around you. The more you smile, the more other people will smile too.
• Smiling helps you enjoy your day better and it attracts people to you more easily.
• Laughing or smiling makes you a happier person.

If we enjoy so many benefits from laughing or smiling, why don’t we do it more often?  

Mj Durkin, Author of over seven books says it is because people are afraid of rejection. When they smile at others and they don’t get one in return, a little part of them is gone. Do that a few more times and they forget about laughing and smiling altogether.

Try this in the next 24 hours

Pay attention to the number of times you smile or laugh. Try it for a few days. Then see if you can catch yourself smiling and laughing more often. 

Day Ten of the "Ten Days of Happiness" will focus on decide to be happy and make it your top priority.

For information about how to call in, listen to previous days recording and other details visit http://iamhappyproject.org. 

That is it for now. Remember: "Do not allow the past or the future to rob you of your present" 

Stay happy,

CHO