Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Homemaking Tip—“A Smile is the Universal Language”


Ty made himself a new friend on the streets of China. His friend's smile makes me smile. A smile is powerful like that.

Smiling is powerful enough to make any homemaking task easier, too. Any. And I'm not just saying that.  Smiling increases the production of the happy hormone serotonin . . . and, scentists have discovered that your body doesn’t know the difference between a fake smile and a real smile, so your body will respond as if it’s the real thing . . . , and a study conducted by UC-Berkeley found that women who smiled in their college yearbook photos led happier lives, had happier marriages, and had fewer personal setbacks in the following 30 years, and . . . Dr. Price told us in child development that it was especially important to smile while changing a dirty diaper because it would affect the baby's self-image of his body. 

So there you have a homemaking tip for today: smile away while doing those slogging tasks because it will make them easier and you happier.  A smile is powerful like that.

13 comments:

Deanna/Mimi said...

Oh no! I regret all the faces I made while changing those millions of diapers. If I had only known! I loved your blog Jane. The picture of Ty and the older man is priceless. You always write about the most interesting things. I learned from you about the diaper thing and also that the brain knows no difference between a fake smile and a real smile. Your a gem!

Puhlman said...

I'm smiling now that I don't have to change any more diapers. :)

michelle said...

Well I'm not feeling like smiling today. So I'm going to give it a try with the fake ones and see how it works!

Deidra said...

It's a Happiness Project trick, "act the way you want to feel." I've noticed it works, especially at the end of a shift cleaning at the gym. The more I smile at people, the less awful wiping down counters [again] feels.

Rachel said...

:)

Jill said...

I have heard this about fake smiling versus real smiling and have put it to practice several times despite feeling like an idiot. Usually I end up laughing at myself which produces a real smile.

SANDERSON / MCCONKIE FAMILY said...

I just decide to "count my blessings" throughout the day...you just can't help but smile. Oh, we have so many contraptions & conviences to make our lives sweet and the friends and family...yep, I smiling!!!

Tyler - Danielle - Emree said...

A smile is priceless!

Ande said...

Oh I liked this blog a lot. I love that picture. Thanks for smiling at me all the time Mamma.

Marie said...

Want to hear one of my motherhood standards? I try to always smile that them each time my children enter a room. (you know,unless they have run in crying because they are hurt or something. Then I go for a hug instead) I love how they instantly return the smile.

Emma J said...

Great photo. And I'd taking Marie's idea on for a trial this week - each time they enter the room? Because it's never too late?

sheila piper said...

Ty we miss you around this part of the world but we know that you are making others smile. Don't forget us.

Becky said...

Amen! Smiles are such a great gift for both the giver and the receiver. :)