World Smile Day – First Friday In October

The first Friday in October is celebrated as World smile day every year. It is said “Smile and the world smile with you, cry and you cry alone” the main idea behind celebrating World Smile Day is to encourage people to smile more often.

Let’s celebrate this day by spreading acts of kindness to help others smile. Smile at strangers you pass on the street, the grocery store clerk, your boss, and, of course, your friends and family.

History

This idea was started by Harvey Ball, who was a business craftsman from Worcester in Massachusetts. Incidentally, he is known to have made the Smiley Face in the year 1963. In 1999 the first World Smile Day was celebrated, and happily, this has become a tradition every year since.

After his death in 2001, a foundation was created in his memory known as the “Harvey Ball World Smile Foundation“. The motto of the Smile Foundation is “enhancing this world, one smile“. Today, Smiley’s face is one of the most popular nonverbal ways to convey joy, happiness, and cheer. The smiley face began as a bright yellow circle with two dots to represent eyes and a black line that represents a smiling mouth.

The use of the smiley face increased in popularity, becoming a universal symbol understood by all. With the introduction of computers, the symbol went “electronic” with a plain text, smiley-face emoticon. Easily created by typing a colon and a right parenthesis, and sometimes with a dash for a nose, ? : -) the symbol became a popular way to express emotion in online copy and emails.

With the introduction of emojis (small digital images or icons used to express an idea or emotion in electronic communication) the yellow smiley face could now be shared worldwide. Today, the round yellow emoji face does more than just smile:

How to celebrate

Many events are hosted on World Smile Day and the creation of the biggest human smiley face is critical to spread the spirit of the day. It is observed by schools, people, organizations, and associations attempting to improve the world, by unleashing fun activities that can make a person smile.

The day can be celebrated by making people around you smile, doing a random act of kindness, buying a stranger a coffee, complimenting someone, giving your seat up to someone on the bus, surprising someone in your family with a visit, cooking a meal for them, or doing something special for them and it can be also done by volunteering your time and/ or money at a local nonprofit organization.

The Remarkable Health Benefits of Smiling

It Instantly Lowers Stress Levels
It Can Alleviate Pain and Depression
It Puts Those Around You at Ease and Improves Mood
Smiling Can Help Strengthen Your Immune System
Smiling is a Natural and Healthy Way to Release Endorphins
They Foster Human Connection
Smiles are Contagious

There is nothing more beautiful than smiling and making others smile. Let’s devote one day each year to encourage everyone around the world to smile. 🙂

Suggested Read: Important Days In October