Smiling like a Fool

As the Ithaca weather we all love to hate turns grayer with each passing day, do not despair, I have the cure!

I've been conducting a, highly unscientific, research experiment this semester. As I walk around campus I commit the social gaucherie of looking at people who pass me, trying to catch their eye, and smiling at them. It's amazing the things people will do to avoid eye contact: play with their cells, bird watch, check to see if they put matching shoes on in the morning, etc. But when I do get their glance long enough to share a smile, it's incredible. A look of wonder comes over many of their faces, "What? Your smiling at me? Wow!" they seem to be thinking. A few of them smile with recognition, "Oh, hey . . . " and the cogs start turning in their heads, "Where am I supposed to know her from?" this reaction is really funny; I want to run after them and explain, "No, no. You don't know me, I'm just a nice person who smiles at strangers, thanks for participating. Oh, and have a nice day." But I've decided that's a little weird, so I figure it at least it gives them something to ponder during the rest of their walk to class. It has been my observation that older people smile more readily than younger people, and people of the opposite sex as the researcher smile more readily than people of the same sex.

This may sound incredibly banal, but it truly is the most ground breaking mood enhancer since prozac. That's the reason why i'm soliciting your help. My conservative estimate is that the average Cornellian has an opportunity to smile at 150 people per day. And there's what, 16 of us? We come from different areas of campus, so our class alone has the possibility of reaching 2400 people. And the fabulous thing about this is that smiling is contagious, a "sticky" message.

So go on and grin like an idiot. Imagine a campus where everyone smiles at eachother. A town? A world? Social civility may reach Tipping Point yet.