Keep Smiling

There have been loads said about how powerful a weapon a smile can be. Right from alleviating suffering to confessing love to soothing nerves to disarming someone to prepare for a calculated intellectual attack.

But this is about quite something else. About hedonic consumption of a smile. By people around the “smiler”.

Listed below are some of the mechanisms by which people “consume” others’ smiles to feel good themselves.

Aesthetic Value: This typically refers to the beautiful smiles on the pretty and handsome faces. For example, it just looks aesthetically pleasing; even to see a well practised and essentially planted smile on a model’s face. The varieties of smiles and faces are endless and some are striking. A Typical "cute smile" has pierced many hearts.

State of Mind: You often extrapolate a smile onto a person’s internal state of mind. The happiness exuded by an upbeat person is contagious, even if it is a stranger. If it is a friend or a relative who matters to you, it is especially pleasing to imagine that they are happy. The level of satisfaction is directly proportional to how much you care for the person. Conversely, it depresses you if signals cause the reverse inference. Also, more often than not you can immediately detect a fake smile, which doesn’t trigger those positive feelings.

Achievement and Pride: It is heady to see a sportsperson or another achiever you idolise smile, after overcoming odds to achieve something. The sense of pride achievement transfers to you and makes you feel good.

Charm and Love: It’s hard to describe the emotions a mother goes through when she sees her baby smiling for the first time, and ever thereafter. For onlookers, the pleasure might be nostalgic.

Gratification from Gifting a Smile: Bringing a smile on someone’s face is an exhilarating feeling. People might experience it to varying degrees but it does feel fulfilling to be able to make someone smile by your actions or words. End of the day it is a self-centred activity to feel good yourself.

Love: It feels pleasant to see a couple in love(of all ages) flashing smiles at one another. The range of emotions signified by the smile could extend from excitement to naughtiness to warmth to assurance to contentment. The value of that smile for the significant other need not be emphasised. But for the onlookers, the pleasure might be due to accessing schemas in their mind which contain their own warm relationships, or due to aspirational value. This can be extrapolated to include familial relationships too.

Escapist Value and Aspirational Value: A person in suffering might get a momentary high by forgetting his suffering and participating in someone else’s smile. Similarly, aspirational value of being in a similar situation feels good.

So be cheerful and keep those smiles coming. We don’t mind even if the charm is effusive.It's not only for your personal happiness, but also for the consumption and satisfaction of the onlookers. Perhaps it can even result in a reverse feedback - knowing that your smiles make others happy could enhance your joy!

Keep Smiling!