Friday, June 25, 2010

Penny For Your Smile...

You know those old photos that people have, of their great-grandparents? Where no one is smiling, because that had to sit frozen for 20 minutes?

Ever wonder what they were thinking?

Ever think about what goes into a smile?

Let’s think about this. What makes you smile?

When you think of soccer, does it make you smile?

How about baseball?

Let’s say someone loves playing baseball so much, he puts all his energy into it and works his way up to the Major League. Do you think –that- would put a smile on his face? If not the money, at least the fact that he's playing MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL?

Everyone's talking about this recent study from Wayne University, in Michigan.

Using photos of Major League players, and controlling statistically for all kinds of factors, they discovered not only is a smile an indicator of longevity, but even the type of smile. The players with the broadest, happiest smiles lived the longest.

Here's a summary of the study.

But I have a question that the researchers didn’t ask. Maybe you could get me an answer from your dinner table tonight.

How could someone be playing Major League baseball and NOT be grinning ear-to-ear?

(Jewish wisdom: True happiness comes not from what you make of yourself, but what you do for others.)


Shabbat Shalom


“War is a game that is played with a smile. If you can’t smile, grin. If you can’t grin, keep out of the way till you can.” - Churchill

PS: Know someone (including yourself) who could use a smile-boost? Try one of these books:

smilebookforkids
smilebookforadults
smilebookforallages


…and if none of those work, try this:

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