Start Smiling!
It may seem counterintuitive when you’re feeling down or nonchalant but like most successful strategies in business, “Plan to Work ; Work the Plan”!
The act of smiling itself can induce feelings of happiness but when we combine this with thinking positively, we supercharge the process...
Michigan State University ran a study recently that concluded “service workers who fake smile through the day worsen their mood and withdraw from work”
Ignore the purists - Fake It!
The secret it seems is to be genuine, even when you’re faking it!
Experts in the field suggest using your eyes when smiling and to sit in front of a mirror.
If you take the following image, it’s pretty easy to see which expression is a fake smile and which one is genuine happiness.
PsyBlog in the UK suggests smiling can improve out attentiveness at work and can improve our on the job performance “increases our attentional flexibility and our abnility to think holistically”
Smiling also helps in dissipating stress and emotional pain. It’s called the Facial Feedback Hypothesis where the process of forcing a smile when happiness is furthest from our minds, starts to lift our mood and create feelings of joy.
It's all about making your cat happy
My cat is a prime example of that hypothesis – he can’t smile but he knows what comforts him in times of stress and un happiness. If he caught sharpening his claws on the sofa and is unceremoniously dumped on the ground, he immediately starts grooming himself. Then the purrs start and feline happiness is restored.
So the next time you’re consumed by office stress, force a smile…and make it genuine!