Just One Smile

Left to Right: Sydney Pean (12th), Christina Saint-Clair (12th), Soleil Derisma (12th), Marcus Louis (12th)

Every year on the first Friday of October, World Smile Day celebrates spreading smiles and random acts of kindness. This year’s date is October 6, 2023. Not only does this national day manifest happiness, but it’s also surprisingly good for your health.

Promoting Good Health

Smiling has been found in studies to help reduce stress, improve mood, lower blood pressure, and enhance the immune system. When we grin, endorphins (the brain’s natural happy hormones) are released, helping us feel happier and more relaxed.

“Smiling activates the part of the brain that processes sensory inputs and rewards. This is called the parietal lobe on the top of your mid brain area. So when we smile at someone, their eyes capture and send the visual signal to their brain’s occipital lobe located on the back of the brain. This allows them to feel rewarded and happy (and vice versa),” William Wroe, an honors biology and environmental science teacher, said.

Kallista Ramos Biology Teacher Mr. William Wroe

History

Harvey Ball, a commercial illustrator from Worcester, Massachusetts, is credited with developing the iconic happy face sign in 1963. Harvey Ball felt that his idea had become too commercialized and wanted to dedicate a day to genuine smiles and acts of kindness.

The first World Smile Day was observed in 1999, and it has since become an annual event. The Harvey Ball World Smile Foundation continues to propagate the message of distributing smiles and goodwill all across the world.

What is World Smile Day?

People all over the world are invited to do an act of kindness and make one person smile on World Smile Day. Every year on World Smile Day, the Harvey Ball World Smile Foundation hosts a special celebration. In Worcester, MA, the birthplace of the yellow smiley face, the day is extremely popular.

World Smile Day 2023 celebrates the universal manifestation of happiness – the smile. It’s a good moment to remind ourselves of the significance of expressing happiness, compassion, and optimism through simple gestures like smiling. This day urges everyone to put on a smile and share it with the rest of the world, brightening the day of everyone they meet.

“I feel like my smile brings positivity and serenity to others around me. I think it makes people feel like they are accepted and feel they can be comfortable with me,” senior Jovenson Lifleur said.

“My smile makes so many people feel better. They find my smile to be one of their favorite thing about me,” senior Christina Saint-Clair said.

“I feel my smile impacts the world by brightening the days of those who surround me. Everyone always needs a smile and maybe my smile can help someone if they had a bad day,” junior Moses Aristide said.