Amazing what a difference a smile can make! I needed to run to the store over lunch today to pick up a few things, and as is typical, I made a point of observing people. Lately, I’ve been paying more attention to the way people behave, trying to decipher the reasons behind the actions. You notice a lot of little nuances when you do this, and perhaps the most noticeable behavior is whether or not a person smiles.
You can tell a lot about a person by their smile, maybe almost as much as you can from their eyes. People can smile, grin, smirk, or beam. They can express graciousness, friendliness, tenderness, or delight. They can look amused, happy, pleased, or elated. All this just from a simple smile.
What I am continually struck by, though, is how smiling can make the average person look ten times more attractive. A beautiful woman or a handsome man can look less attractive than the average person on the street who sports a genuine grin. Give me a choice between spending time with the one who smiles and the one who doesn’t, and my instinct is going to be join the cheerful one (though, chances are, the one who isn’t smiling probably needs the company more). This, of course, validates the wisdom that what is inside a person is more important than what is on the outside. You don’t have to be drop-dead gorgeous to be physically appealing – you only need to have a good heart. Anyone who places more importance on physical attractiveness over an attractive personality is either a fool or doesn’t really care about your well-being. It’s what’s on the inside that matters, and a genuine smile tells the world that you’re truly beautiful.
