World Smile Day 2023: Date, history and significance

Mother Teresa once said, “Peace begins with a smile” and since we feel that the most wasted of all days is one without laughter, we can't help but smile a little more this mid-week, ahead of World Smile Day, because a genuine smile has the remarkable ability to not only lift our own spirits but also brighten the day of those around us, mend relationships, ease tension and bridge gaps between strangers as a universal language of positivity and connection, transcending cultural and linguistic boundaries. In moments of joy, a smile becomes a beacon of celebration while in times of sorrow, it offers solace and support as it is a gift we can give freely, an expression of our inner light that has the potential to change the world one joyful grin at a time hence, participating in World Smile Day is a simple way to make the world a better place with this simple yet powerful gesture that radiates warmth, happiness and kindness.

Date:

World Smile Day is celebrated on the first Friday in October each year and this year it falls on October 6.

History:

Initiated by Harvey Ball, a commercial artist from Worcester in Massachusetts, who is best known for creating the iconic smiley face symbol in 1963, World Smile Day was created by him in 1999 as a way to encourage people to do acts of kindness and spread happiness by simply smiling.

Significance:

World Smile Day aims to promote goodwill and positivity by smiling at others and performing acts of kindness while serving as a reminder of the power of a simple smile to brighten someone's day and improve the world around us. So, this World Smile Day, smile at strangers, encourage people to smile at others they encounter throughout the day, perform random acts of kindness for friends, family or even strangers to bring joy to their lives, share stories, pictures or quotes about smiles on social media to spread positivity or participate in volunteer activities or charity events to make a positive impact on the community.

“A smile cures the wounding of a frown” as Shakespeare once wrote so, “If you have only one smile in you, give it to the people you love” ​as Maya Angelou once suggested.