Who knew that happiness and success could come down to two words: Yes and No. Eric Barker’s recent piece on the subject offered a very interesting insight for anyone in the business world.

I was intrigued enough and Googled “happiness,” which led me to an incredible TEDtalk. Taking happiness and success beyond words, the talk showed the importance and power of smiling as undeniable. Rob Gutman’s The Hidden Power of Smiling shows that the most powerful thing people can do is smile.

Smiling brings joy not only to us, but it is a contagious happiness that spreads to those around us, and therefore increases productivity and closeness.

This got me thinking: when do I smile? I realized that I smile the most when I am with friends, or when I am trying something new and exciting. Similarly that smiling is also a way to break tension. Whether I am meeting someone new, on a first date, in an interview, or simply giving a presentation, smiling creates a sense of connection with another person(s) that calms my nerves and excites both of us.

Think now for a second about your own day. For most of us, work takes up the largest part of our daily lives. Do you smile at work?

Smiling at work is one of the most important and productive things we can do, and it can act as an adrenaline of sorts to help get us through long days.

So why not try to pay attention and smile more at work? Try to smile at work at least 20 times a day: smile if you make eye contact with a coworker, during lunch, when you leave the office.

Happiness is a vital and necessary component for true success, and smiling and laughter are key measures and foundations for happiness. So make sure that you have experiences and people outside of work that are making you smile, and smile a lot.

Trying new things and meeting new people is one of the best ways to bring about genuine and earsplitting smiles, and as the TEDtalk shows, the bigger the smile, the more often you do it, the longer you are likely to live.

Why not attend one of Eventsy’s upcoming events, like rock climbing, to get you laughing and living longer?

So go out there! Spread smiles and spread long life!