Curiosity Feels Better Here

Smile Therapy: Why Your Brain Loves a Good Grin

I’ll never forget one particular Tuesday morning when I was trudging to work, already feeling weighed down by an endless to-do list and the nagging voice in my head telling me I wasn’t doing enough. I stopped at the crosswalk, frustrated and tired, when a passerby—someone I’d never met—looked up, caught my eye, and gave me the warmest smile. It was so simple, but I swear, it felt like someone had taken a pebble out of my backpack. I exhaled for what felt like the first time all morning.