What’s a six-minute strategy to boost your happiness for six months?
Botox.
According to researchers at Cardiff University, injecting botox to prevent frowning, reduces depression.
For a non-pharmaceutical intervention, smile in the mirror for a few seconds every morning.
Even a fake smile makes you more resilient to stressors.
One of my favorite things to do while sitting at a red light near an intersection is to watch the faces of people turning their cars. Almost all are frowning. They’re focused on not crashing, so maybe that’s a good thing. But, like advice given to meditators, it wouldn’t hurt them to adopt a “half-smile”.
When you see others, even strangers, smile. You’ll appear more likable and less threatening, and you’ll make their day better. Plus, you’ll be happier.
The most effective happiness — and general life improvement — interventions are often the simplest. People create complex systems, products, and programs to make money, not to provide the most cost-effective solutions. It’s like improving your health or appearance. It’s hard to make money telling people to eat real food and exercise daily than it is to sell a bottle of pills or workout gizmo. That’s part the reason I’m writing these lessons — to share the simplest, fastest, easiest ways to improve your life based on my experience and education.
So,
The next stranger you meet,
Or mirror you greet,
Every once in a while,
Smile.
(I couldn’t help myself. I’m getting too comfortable 15 lessons in.)