THE DOLLAR VALUE OF YOUR SMILES
Do you know that each smile you give
to somebody transfers a huge amount of power? Are you aware that each of your smiles
carries a great financial value? Do you also know that people who smile regularly
succeed in business and career far more than people who habitually frown? Let’s
find out.
Some authors associate the value of
a smile with big amounts of money, sometimes to the tune of hundreds of thousands
of dollars. For instance, David Normando related a case in a book, The Value of Beauty, where Dr. Carlos
Camara talked about a patient who, after undergoing changes in smile esthetics,
would earn about US$230,000 throughout his professional life. He wondered that
a single smile would be worth that huge amount of money.
The worth of a smile is really
financially astonishing. In a study carried out by a group of scientists in the
UK working with Hewlett Packard Development Company, they found out that
“participants who were shown a child’s smile experienced the same level of
stimulation as they would have from eating 2,000 bars of chocolate.” This study
revealed that, in monetary terms, it would take up to 16,000 pounds sterling
(equivalent of $25,000) in cash to cause the same level of brain stimulation as
one smile. Wow, one smile worth $25,000!
Generally, studies have found out that children
smile a lot, from 400-500 times a day. This makes most people feel happier
around them. On the other hand, an average happy
person smiles 50-60 times a day, while the average person smiles about 20 times
a day.
Researchers at Bangor University embarked
upon a study to determine the actual financial worth of each smile. They
arrived at the conclusion that each smile is worth $0.43. As low as this amount
may appear, cumulatively it sums up to something reasonable in one, two, five,
ten years and beyond. This is excluding the multiplier effect of referrals your
smiles will attract. For instance, if we multiply $0.43 by 60 times a happy
person smiles in a day it will sum up to $25.8 a day, $774 a month, and $9,288
a year. On the other hand, the implication is that what it costs you to frown
each time is at least that same amount, $0.43. So in a month you would pay (or
lose) $774, and $9,228 in a year, in frowning, in monetary terms.
If we could smile like children, up
to 400-500 times a day, it would translate to about $215 a day, $6,450 a month,
and $77,400 a year. Wouldn’t that be a huge monetary worth of your smiles?
Besides, the Bangor University
research further found out that people would be willing to pay extra money if a
salesperson smiled at them and suggests that smiles are a key part of
maintaining good business relationships. In fact, Psychology Today reported that researchers have discovered that
customers are significantly willing to give money in the $5-$10 bracket to
persons they perceived to have a genuine smile.
In a related development, Martha C.
Macias writes that studies have also linked smiling with not only improved
overall mood, but also with employees appearing more competent in their
profession. Customers see staff who smile
throughout the day as confident, competent, and more productive. In her
words, “The positive emotions that smiling brings combined with the upbeat
outlook helps people become more productive in their tasks.”
Do you know that smiling uses only 17 facial muscles while
frowning uses 43? Since frowning consumes so much energy to accomplish
nothing good, then it makes a whole lot of sense for us to be smiling instead
of frowning.
Other
Values of Smiling
Apart from financial and business
benefits, smiling has very many other advantages.
(1) Each smile improves your health. If you smile often, it will help
increase the positive chemicals in you such as endorphin, dopamine, and serotonin.
These chemicals help relax your body, lower your heart rate and blood pressure.
On the other hand, smiling decreases stress-related hormones such as adrenalin
and cortisol.
(2) It breeds trust and fosters friendliness: Denis Waitley summarizes
the bonding power of smiles this way: “A
smile is the light in your window that tells others that there is a caring,
sharing person inside.” A smile is the fastest and most powerful way to
close the distance between two or more persons. We feel at home with people who
genuinely smile at us and vice versa.
(3) It prolongs your life: A study carried out by Wayne State
University showed that professional baseball players who smiled often lived an
average of 79.9 years, while those who weren’t smiling lived an average of 72.9
years. So, if you habitually smile, you’re likely to prolong your life by 7
years.
(4) Smiling makes you more attractive: Naturally, we gravitate towards
those who smile at us and move away from those who frown at us. This applies to
business, marital, career and professional relationships.
You were created with the capacity
to always allow your face to crack into smiles. If you smile often (that is, are
very rich in smiles), you’ll be rich in power and in all other areas of life.
Because you were born to smile, always find something to smile about. Also genuinely
give it to people because the character and attitude of your face carries
serious financial implications, whether in business or career. Every person
deeply appreciates smiles. When you speak
you’re using words, when you smile, you’re using pictures. And one genuine
smile is worth more than a thousand words.
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