Dr. Shetty writes about the merits of a smile…

“I will not smile without reason”, said a school principal in the course of a workshop for ‘Improving Communication Skills’. I responded by saying that it is essential to smile always and also without reason in the workplace. The Principal again responded and said that it is not practically feasible, as one’s smile may not be always returned. The fact of the matter is that we can enter our offices, smiling and also fit into the role that we have chosen to play. Imagine a Principal walking into college with a swinging gait vis-à-vis the stiff gait commonly seen, smiling and wishing everybody around him/her rather than grimly nodding one’s head on being formally wished by all. A Principal, who proactively greets people and does not wait to reciprocate a greeting, can generate a lot of positive energy within in the school.

Professor Gavaskar was extremely offended when her smile was not reciprocated in her college and she felt extremely embarrassed. “It is useless sir. People are not generous with their facial muscles”, said the professor. We forget that we smile also for ourselves and smiling helps our glands to function well and the brain chemicals to work is a healthy rhythm. It also helps in regulating the heart rate and lowers blood pressure that rises due to stress. ‘Samne wala ne mu phulaya tho wo uska problem hai apna nahi’. Smiling and laughter are stress busters. No student or teacher would undermine the abilities of a principal if s/he, if met with a genuine smile from the latter, nor will it promote indiscipline. A principal is not a cop and stiff deterrence is a bad strategy in the 21st century.

I also wonder why Judges do not smile in the courtrooms. No where in the country’s constitution is it written that they should not smile. In Hindi movies they are depicted as stiff faced and lacking a sense of humor with some rare exceptions of course. Many of us across professions take our coats and neckties so seriously—as a result a large number of us look choked and constipated. Some feel offended when a colleague has a hearty laugh in the workplace without reason. The best laughter is when it is without reason or just simply just because one feels like a good laugh. Not to mention that very few of us can actually also whistle!

Doing things without reason…in unconventional mad ways occasionally helps to break structures and to allow ourselves to be released from our own invisible nets. Some parents do not allow children to laugh and be merry in certain situations with the excuse of exercising discipline. Such kids will grow up to be unhappy adults and will persecute their own children.

When I travel I smile at the adjoining passenger in the train. I do not believe that everyone is a ‘pickpocket’ and in long-distance trains I do not believe that the passenger in the next seat belongs to the ‘biscuit gang’. In fact when I travel to Gujarat I always make it a point to smile at my co-passengers, not because Gujaratis being very hospitable would offer me ‘khakra’ but because I just feel like a smile. In an auto rickshaw I greet the driver with a hello and at times just say ’Chal Dhanno, basanti ka izzat ka saval hai.’ The mood changes and we are connected. Yes friends, there is a lot of mistrust. A hectic pace that has overtaken our lives and we have forgotten to connect. By nature human beings want to connect and as a result of the rapid pace we remain disconnected. A smile is an antidote to mistrust and a passport to good health. What obstructs a smile are the resentments of yesterday and the fears of tomorrow.

Recently when I was conducting a communication workshop with the senior municipal hospital doctors of Mumbai I asked them why it is so difficult to greet a patient with a smile. A few commented that it is inappropriate to smile at a patient in pain. Here one needs to understand that greeting a patient with a smile is different from grinning or laughing out loud [between doctors] when a patient is in pain. In fact in many ICU’s, the hospital staff laughs out loud and discusses death in a matter-of-fact manner, which is bad and humiliating for the patients. Greeting a patient with a smile initiates healing and the healing is always a two way process like listening and learning. When a doctor heals a patient the patient reciprocally heals the doctor as s/he acknowledges the greeting and returns it from within.

Hence friends smile and live well rather than moan and just exist. Moreover it will add life to your years and also years to your life.

Did you find this column useful? Write a review or send in your. Click here

Other Articles By Dr. Harish Shetty 

…These Are The Seven Husbands Wives Hate!
Dancing Is Good For Health
If My Niece Chooses To Marry A Mentally Ill Person!
…Valentine’s Day Is About Connecting, Not Gifts
Why Do Our Kids Commit Crimes?