I drive a lot during the day for my full-time job as a REALTOR. Every day I get up, get ready for the day, and drive myself to Starbucks for my vanilla mocha like a record on repeat. Every day there’s a “social experiment” that I just love to do. I know this will come to a surprise to you all, but it’s as simple as paying it forward with a smile. Have you ever done this? It is baffling to watch people’s reaction to something so simple. I think most people are taken back by a smile. They are probably thinking, “What is this lady doing? Does she want something? Does she want me to look and see if there’s food in her teeth?” Human reactions can be hilarious. According to a newly published article, smiling is a health benefit.

Every morning, my Starbucks crew gets a big smile from me in hopes it brightens their day. I may go to the grocery store and I walk the aisles and smile at people as I am shopping. Some turn white as if they’ve seen something scary ( which it could be me in the morning but…); while others smile back! I go to my bank, walk inside and look them in the eye and ask for a deposit while SMILING. They smile back. After a while, I notice it’s contagious and when I show up they smile at me! Smiling is therapeutic, at least for me. It helps me get through the ups and downs of the day.

My point in all of this is, something so simple, something that takes less effort than frowning, can have a HUGE impact on someone’s day, or week, and you may just start a pay it forward smile and not even know it. It’s definitely less expensive than a Starbuck’s coffee and probably more impactful.

So, here’s hoping you get up in the morning and do your own “social experiment” and just smile.