A smile can say a lot. It is recognized as an indicator of enjoyment but it can also be deceiving. People will smile when they are trying to hide something, when they are in an awkward situation or when they are truly happy.

There have been studies concerning smiles since 1862. The French anatomist Duchenne de Boulogne published a book “Mecanisme de la Physionomie Humaine.” He did studies on smiles of pure enjoyment, now referred to as Duchenne smiles, against electronically stimulated smiles. He writes in this book, “The emotion of frank joy is expressed on the face by the combined contraction of the zygomaticus major muscle and the orbieularis oeuli. The first obeys the will but the second is only put in play by the sweet emotions of the soul; the… fake joy, the deceitful laugh, cannot provoke the contraction of this latter muscle… The muscle around the eye does not obey the will; it is only brought into play by a true feeling, by an agreeable emotion. Its inertia, in smiling, unmasks a false friend.”

A genuine smile can lead to many beneficial things. It sends the message that you are an open and inviting person, which most people are attracted to. This can be a beneficial trait to a professional career as well as personal relationships. Employers are more inclined to hire individuals with positive and motivating personalities with a smile to match in a decision between two equally qualified individuals. Sometimes even when one person is less qualified, their smile may push them beyond their qualifications.

It is understood by most that a smile can improve your relationships, both casual and romantic. Positive energy naturally draws people closer to you. A smile will generally be reciprocated with another smile. No one wants to hang around the person constantly complaining or gossiping. People want to feel happy and reciprocate that smile. If someone is upset, the most common thing to do is to show sympathy, which takes a lot more effort than to share a positive experience.

Smiles are great when they are true, but they can also be useful in many other situations. As Herman Melville said, “A smile is the chosen vehicle for all ambiguities.” LeeAnne Harker and Dacher Keltner, two scientists from the University of California – Berkley did a study examining college photos and followed the same women for 30 years. The women that showed more Duchenne smiles in the photos from college generally ended up with greater well-being and more consistent marital status.

The one area of life that I couldn’t find any evidence where a smile improves success was academics. This made some sense at first. When I picture a student tucked away in the library focusing on homework, they are not smiling; they are seriously focused. However, when I think about discussions in class, there is a wide range of emotion.

There’s the point when students understand what the lecture is about. Generally this is followed by contentment or possibly dozing off. There’s the point where students are struggling with the material. This is generally expressed by puzzlement or a scowl. Then there is the point when it all clicks. That aha moment. That’s when students smile.

Smiles are stress relievers, and the more you smile the more you start to feel the happy emotions associated with it. As college students, we all have stress from classes. That’s not to say the rest of the world doesn’t have stress. So as I’m writing this to the student body, it pertains to most people in the world. For every stress in your life, have an equally relaxing moment.

In no way am I suggesting you spend your entire life trying to be as relaxed as possible. But there should be a balance between stress and relaxing — like in class. There’s the small [or possibly large] stress of understanding the material then the achievement felt once you do. Class should be a challenge, not a struggle. So smile more, Iowa State. 🙂