One of our most popular blog posts ever was "Does Smiling Make You a Better Leader? Top Four Reasons You Should Smile More," which you can read by clicking here. We got a lot of comments on this one. So as a result, we decided to post a follow up.
Here are the top three resons you should smile a lot more based on the research.
1. You can improve your mood by smiling (Bernstein, et al., 2000). Research has shown that people's moods are affected by facial expressions whether angry or happy. If your mood improves because of a smile, wouldn't that affect those around you too? No one likes a grumpy leader.
2. Smile more and you are less likely to get a divorce. A study published in the journal Motivation and Emotion found based on early photos of subjects that those who smile little compared to those who smiled more were five times more likely to be divorced. Maybe leaders smiling more would result in less turnover? (see NBC's Today Features Professor's Research on Smiling and Divorce).
3. Smile more and you will sell more. Research shows that smiling improves the bottom line. In fact, some claim that the presence of smiling mannequins can have a huge influence on sales (BigSmile Mannequins). Research also shows that even subliminal smiles can improve sales (Face Value: Hidden Smiles Influence Consumption And Judgement). Leadership is about influence and so is sales, so it can be assumed that more smiling means more positive leading?
So leaders, smile and smile big!
Look for practical suggestions to help you smile more in our next post this Wednesday. Also, I have a fun video on smiling that I am really looking forward to sharing on Friday.
Do you want to smile more? Become a fan of our Facebook page by clicking on the Facebook Fan Page logo below.
Be on the look out for our new blog in the next few weeks as well "Team Building and Teamwork." A blog dedicated completely to Team Building and Teamwork (see below).
Want a great team building activity? Tips on how to improve your teams performance? Funny teamwork videos? Engaging ice breakers and object lessons for your team? Team building products? Then be on the look out for our Team Building Teamwork blog in the next few weeks. We will announce it here and on our Facebook page.
Works Cited
Bernstein, D. A., Clarke-Stewart, A., Penner, L. A., Roy, E. J., & Wickens, C. D. (2000). Psychology (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company.
Davis, S. F., & Palladino, J. J. (2000). Psychology(3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
NBC's Today Features Professor's Research on Smiling and Divorce
BigSmile Mannequins
Face Value: Hidden Smiles Influence Consumption And Judgement
Mike Rogers
