A Smile Usually Helps

My father currently creates copper angels.   I think I've posted pictures of them previously.   In the event, I haven't, here is what they look like:

Pretty cool.

However, when I was growing up my father used to stain and varnish pieces of wood covered with old Life magazine photographs and advertisements.  These photographs were found hanging up all over the house.   All areas of the house.   Even the bathroom.   I particularly remember the one in the rest room.   It was an old advertisement of a young women dressed in 1920s garb with the caption, "A Smile Usually Helps."  As seven year olds generally are not troubled by the ravages of constipation, I don't think I understood its meaning at the time nor its strategic placement over the toilet.

Of course, a smile will not only help with the bowels, but it will readily help loosen up other interactions as well.  It has been shown that people who smile have less stress, depression,  more friends, and generally live longer.   Even a fake smile creates its own kind of feedback loop.  Its all good.

Even when you don't have anything to smile about, the utilization of your facial muscles to invoke a smile can produce a sense of peace and well being.

Of course, not everyone has a reason to smile, even a fake one.  My non scientific study of inmates in the Illinois Department of Corrections confirms that 90% of inmates do not smile.   Of course, most of these photographs were taken on their intake to the IDOC, as opposed to when their sentence was discharged:

Still, if they only knew they could be living longer with more friends, I'm sure that little frown would turn upside down.  Even the inmates in segregation at Menard.  Or not.