Thailand is known as the land of smiles. The few months that I spent in Payap University, Chiang Mai, as a United Board Fellow made me realize how true that is. From the moment you board a Thai Airways flight to Bangkok, you are into a world of smiles. Everyone seems to smile instantly, spontaneously and naturally. It seems there are over a dozen words in Thai Language to refer to types of smiles which express a variety of emotions and sentiments—from politeness, happiness, embarrassment, frustration, condescension, and nervousness. Thais smile for anything and everything, to express or even to conceal their feelings.
On the contrary, India, along with some East Bloc countries, figures among nations with lowest smile score.
Where would we, priests and religious, be on a smile index?
Why not smile more? Numerous are the benefits of smile. There are conflicting claims on how many muscles are required to smile or to frown. Some say it takes only seventeen to smile but forty-three to frown. Yet all agree that, any day, a smile is better than a frown. Health professionals claim that smile helps bodies release cortisol, which brings about health benefits, such as reduced blood pressure, increased endurance and reduced pain. It boosts the immune system, prompts the brain to produce happy hormones, like endorphins and serotonin, which generate positive emotions. One 2010 study found that genuine, intense smiling could improve happiness and longevity.
Fr Tomy Augustine SDB
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