World Smile Day

Blog Credit: Trupti Thakur

Image Courtesy: Google

World Smile Day

Smile is a simple way to make the world a better place to live. This simple yet powerful gesture radiates warmth, happiness and kindness. It is a universal language of positivity and connection, transcending cultural and linguistic boundaries. A genuine smile has 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.

World Smile Day 2023: Date

World Smile Day is celebrated on the first Friday in October every year and is a day dedicated to “good cheer and good works”, this year it falls on October 6.

Theme

The catch phrase for the day is “Do an act of kindness – help one person smile”. However, as per some media reports, theme for World Smile Day 2023 is “Radiate Joy.”

History

Harvey Ball, a commercial artist from Worcester, Massachusetts created the smiley face in 1963. The image went on to become the most recognizable symbol of good will and good cheer on the planet.

As the years passed Harvey Ball became concerned about the over-commercialization of his symbol, and how its original meaning and intent had become lost in the constant repetition of the marketplace.  Out of that concern came his idea for World Smile Day. He thought that we, all of us, should devote one day each year to smiles and kind acts throughout the world. The smiley face knows no politics, no geography and no religion.

The first World Smile Day celebration was held in Worcester, MA in 1999 as a way to encourage people to do acts of kindness and spread happiness by simply smiling and has continued each year since then.

After Harvey died in 2001, the Harvey Ball World Smile Foundation was created to honour his name and memory.  The Foundation continues as the official sponsor of World Smile Day each year.

In 1963, Harvey Ball, a graphic artist and ad man from Worcester, Massachusetts, created the smiley face symbol we’ve all come to know. Popularity for this symbol exploded into the world of popular culture. It’s every artists’ dream for their work to be respected and recreated and few symbols have had quite the legacy that Harvey’s creation has had.

Throughout the years, the smiley face has become one of the most well-known symbols in the world. It has appeared in movies such as ‘Forest Gump’ and used as a motif in the graphic novel, ‘Watchmen.’ It’s so well-known that just by saying “smiley face”, we bet that you can see it in your mind. That recognizable yellow circle with black dots for eyes and a simple curve for a genuine and pure smile. However, the original smiley face had more of an oblong smile, a bit more hand drawn in aesthetic, taking up more space on the face than we see in modern recreations. Because of its overuse, it started to move away from its intent of goodwill and good cheer and he knew something had to be done.

In 1999, World Smile Day became an official holiday in order to regain control. The celebration aspects of the day were simple yet effective: people were to use the day to smile and make small acts of kindness worldwide. Harvey wanted to keep the smile connected to the human being. By doing so, you’d smile and in return, you’d make someone else smile and brighten up their day.

Health Benefits

Smile triggers the release of neuropeptides, which help combat stress, it also helps in reducing the release of stress-related hormones in blood.

Smile also reduces blood pressure. When we smile, our heart rate and breathing increase, but is followed by muscle relaxation, which ultimately leads to a decrease in both heart rate and blood pressure.

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.

The first Friday of October is World Smile Day (October 6), a relatively new holiday with a fascinating story. Created by a commercial artist named Harvey Ball, this day came about as a response to his creation of the smiley face. Harvey worried that the commercialization of the symbol would lessen its impact. We can hardly blame him for his estimation; the symbol has been used in many different ways including clothing, comic books, coffee mugs, pins, and more. These little yellow faces are more than just a symbol, they’re a statement about the power of smiling.

WORLD SMILE DAY TIMELINE

1963

The creation

The commercial artist Harvey Ball creates the smiley face.

1970s

Let’s get political

The smiley face is used in cartoons, comics, and for political movements.

1990s

Pixel perfect

The popularity of the smiley face emoji increases with the expansion of the internet and its use as an emoji.

1999

It’s official

World Smile Day becomes an official holiday to inspire acts of kindness.

2001

Never stop smiling

Harvey Ball passes away, but the power of the smile continues thanks in large part because of his dream.

 

 

Blog By: Trupti Thakur