By Jeanni Ritchie

Did you know it used to be considered in poor taste to smile in public?

In 1702, French priest and educational reformer Jean-Baptiste de La Salle published “Rules of Christian Decorum and Civility,” which advised against smiling and laughing, calling them ‘indecorous’ displays of emotion.

It wasn’t until the 1950’s that smiling in portraits became a common practice, largely due to advances in dentistry and a belief that smiling was contagious.

Created in 2018 by dentists Dr. Tim Stirneman and Dr. Jim Wojdyla from Compassionate Dental Care in Illinois, the motivation for the holiday is to get people to smile more.

Some famous smile quotes:

“You’ll find that life is still worthwhile, if you just smile.” Charlie Chaplin

“Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.” Mother Teresa

“A warm smile is the universal language of kindness.” William Arthur Ward

“Today, give a stranger one of your smiles. It might be the only sunshine he sees all day.” H. Jackson Brown Jr.

“If you smile when no one else is around, you really mean it.” Andy Rooney

“Children learn to smile from their parents.” Shinichi Suzuki

On this final day of Mental Health Awareness Month, make sure you greet everyone with a smile!

Jeanni Ritchie is a mental health advocate and journalist from Central Louisiana. She can be found at www.jeanniritchie.com.