Just like a Korean proverb says, “Blessing follows when you smile,” there is nothing to lose to smile. There are, however, different types of smiling. When we are happy, the muscles around our eyes contract and crinkle up. The genuine smile without faking is called the Duchenne smile, named after the neurologist who first discovered it. Duchenne smile stimulates the part of our brain where it feels joy.
A university professor in the United States experimented whether the types of smiles have relevance to the quality of life. The professor precisely analyzed the smiles of 111 women from the university yearbook and tracked down their lives for 30 years. The research concluded that the graduates with genuine smiles were having less stresses in their everyday lives and good interpersonal relationships than the students with strained smiles; most of them were having happy and healthy lives.
The Bible says that God’s children are like Isaac (Gal 4:28). Isaac means laughter. If you feel awkward about smiling as if the name Isaac doesn’t suit you, look into the mirror.
Smiling also requires a practice. Let’s smile. Let us smile and laugh with uncontrollable happiness, thanking for the grace of salvation. The genuine smile indentifies that we are the children of promise like Isaac.