Do you hand out smiles to others?

@JudyEv (389253)
Rockingham, Australia
June 16, 2026 3:35am CST
MyLotter, Xavier Bage, (@franxav) wrote about how he had smiled at some strangers he had met as he went about his day and how they’re all responded positively. It’s always a nice feeling when people do that. Sometimes it surprises me how a person’s face changes when they smile. I might see people who look grumpy or gloomy but their expression changes completely if they smile. The face lights up, their eyes might crinkle at the corners and suddenly they’re not nearly so forbidding. And there is a saying I came across once. I don’t think this is the exact quote but it was something like: If a person doesn’t have a smile, give them one of yours. I've used the photo before but it's one that always makes me smile.
20 people like this
20 responses
@DaddyEvil (178595)
• United States
16 Jun
I certainly try to make people smile and laugh as I go through my day.
4 people like this
@JudyEv (389253)
• Rockingham, Australia
16 Jun
That's very evident from your comments on myLot.
4 people like this
@DaddyEvil (178595)
• United States
16 Jun
@JudyEv Thank you.
2 people like this
@AmbiePam (128533)
• United States
16 Jun
I absolutely love that picture. It brings a smile to my own face. A couple of years ago, my dad and I left a restaurant, and as we walked outside, apparently my dad and I both smiled at the older lady coming in. She grinned and exclaimed it was so nice to see happy people.
3 people like this
@JudyEv (389253)
• Rockingham, Australia
17 Jun
Almost everyone I smile at, smiles back and their face can just change completely. That's nice that the lady spoke to you.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (509729)
• Italy
16 Jun
Judy I LOVE this photo. Both kids are lovely and the boy always put a smile on my face. Nice saying, I am a "smiler" and, when I was young, a few times my smiling put me in annoying situations. Men thought it was an "invitation" to come closer and start chatting.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (509729)
• Italy
17 Jun
@JudyEv I smile in all my photos, my husband always has a grumpy face. Our niece calls him "The Grinch".
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (389253)
• Rockingham, Australia
19 Jun
@LadyDuck Some people naturally don't smile a lot. Vince finds such people very difficult to photograph. He has trouble getting them to smile.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (389253)
• Rockingham, Australia
17 Jun
One of my parents' friends used to call me 'Smiley'. I like this photo too and welcomed the chance to use it again.
1 person likes this
@wolfgirl569 (141231)
• Marion, Ohio
16 Jun
I sometimes try to.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (389253)
• Rockingham, Australia
17 Jun
It probably depends on the area you're in whether people welcome a smile or not.
1 person likes this
@wolfgirl569 (141231)
• Marion, Ohio
17 Jun
@JudyEv It can. Sometimes I just want to get in and out
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (389253)
• Rockingham, Australia
17 Jun
@wolfgirl569 Fair enough.
1 person likes this
@JESSY3236 (22762)
• United States
16 Jun
I sometimes smile to strangers.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (389253)
• Rockingham, Australia
17 Jun
I'm sure they appreciate it.
1 person likes this
@Wrexxo (8555)
•
16 Jun
It's good to smile at all times. Our smiles can brighten someone's else's day. I try to smile regardless of what I'm going through
2 people like this
@JudyEv (389253)
• Rockingham, Australia
17 Jun
I do think it helps others when someone smiles at them.
1 person likes this
@Wrexxo (8555)
•
17 Jun
@JudyEv yeah
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (213599)
• United States
16 Jun
I like to smile, but if if I am not smiling inside, I worry it looks unnatural. What is wrong with that baby in the front? He looks sunburned or like he has a rash of some sort.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (389253)
• Rockingham, Australia
17 Jun
Perhaps he's teething. He was never spontaneously happy like his sister.
• Philippines
16 Jun
Who are they? Are they your grandkids? heheh they are so cute and lovely. Yeah, people's aura changes when they smile, and the effects can really change your mood from bad to good. Sometimes I smile. Sometimes strangers smile at me. I think it is all thanks to God, coz it makes my day somehow change, especially when I feel really bad.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (389253)
• Rockingham, Australia
17 Jun
They are our god-daughter's children and yes, they're very cute. If I make eye contact with someone I always smile.
@Orson_Kart (8832)
• United Kingdom
16 Jun
Some people have great smiles, Julia Roberts comes to mind. Some people can’t smile and it can look rather creepy if they try. Plus, you need to have good teeth. There are lots to consider before smiling at someone.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (389253)
• Rockingham, Australia
17 Jun
I suppose so but a spontaneous smile is good. Maybe the decisions are made very quickly - do they look like they're smile back, do they look like they're to be avoided. I haven't met many that can't smile and I rather see a smile than not, whatever the state of the teeth.
@FourWalls (88079)
• United States
16 Jun
I definitely try to!
2 people like this
@JudyEv (389253)
• Rockingham, Australia
17 Jun
That's great to hear. I hope you get lots of smiles back.
1 person likes this
@Tampa_girl7 (54757)
• United States
16 Jun
That’s a precious photo. It brought a smile to my face.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (389253)
• Rockingham, Australia
17 Jun
It's gorgeous, isn't it? I think they are both in their 20s now. We haven't seen them for a while but we keep in touch with the mother.
@Fleura (36233)
• United Kingdom
16 Jun
Yes I just go around smiling at people all the time
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (509729)
• Italy
17 Jun
@Fleura - The problem is exactly when your smile is misinterpreted.
2 people like this
@Fleura (36233)
• United Kingdom
17 Jun
@JudyEv Yes, in general. As @LadyDuck says it does sometimes get you more attention than you wanted but on the whole I would say it was a positive thing.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (389253)
• Rockingham, Australia
17 Jun
And do you find that mostly they smile back?
1 person likes this
@Shiva49 (28937)
• Singapore
16 Jun
The beauty of a smile is it has no language or cultural barrier. I have found smile is a door opener. Lovely photo.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (389253)
• Rockingham, Australia
17 Jun
I'm glad you like the photo. Yes, a smile can open a lot of doors.
1 person likes this
@valherma00 (5649)
• Zagreb, Croatia (Hrvatska)
17 Jun
is this you with your brother? i haven't seen this photo but you're so cute. well, i must say i don't like to smile to male population without a reason and it depends of the setting. like with staring, i like to exchange my words first, then to show a smile but with kids and animals, i show my smile immediately; maybe because they are harmless, more or less.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (389253)
• Rockingham, Australia
19 Jun
These are our god-daughter's children. They're very cute. I can understand that you wouldn't smile at strangers very much.
1 person likes this
• Zagreb, Croatia (Hrvatska)
21 Jun
@JudyEv o, sorry for misunderstanding. they are really cute. thank you; people may seem polite but you never know what's lying underneath.
1 person likes this
@sissy15 (13525)
• United States
23 Jun
I have always been someone who has a resting grumpy face, but I always try to smile at people so I don't come off as unfriendly. I remember a story my mom told me about when my niece was little. She said that they were at a doctor's office, and there was a woman who looked super grumpy and unfriendly, and my niece kept wandering over to her and trying to get her attention, and my mom was like "would you leave the poor lady alone" but she said the woman noticed my niece and got the biggest smile on her face and started making over my niece, and it's obvious the woman probably needed a reason to smile that day, and my niece was able to give her one. It just goes to show you that not every person is as unfriendly or grumpy as we may think, and may just need a reason to smile, and sometimes we can be that reason, even if it is just giving them one of ours.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (389253)
• Rockingham, Australia
24 Jun
The appearance of some people changes so much when they smile. Many adults will smile for children where they wouldn't perhaps for adults.
1 person likes this
@Juliaacv (57737)
• Canada
16 Jun
That is very true. What an adorable picture. I naturally am smiling most of the time and I get many flashed back to me.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (389253)
• Rockingham, Australia
17 Jun
I nearly always wear a smile too. I rarely smile at someone and don't get one back.
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (101427)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
16 Jun
That is a cute photo, No one here to smile at and I certainly do not smile on myself, And there is that wonderful song by Nat King Cole,
Your browser isn’t supported anymore. Update it to get the best YouTube experience and our latest features. Learn moreRemind me later
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (389253)
• Rockingham, Australia
17 Jun
Thanks for the link. I remember the song but haven't heard it for ages.
1 person likes this
@Fleura (36233)
• United Kingdom
16 Jun
A smile costs nothing, but gives a lot. It enriches those who receive it without making poorer those who give. It takes but a moment, but the memory of it sometimes lasts forever. None is so rich or mighty that they can get along without it, And none is so poor that they cannot be made richer by a smile. It cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen; Some people are too tired to give a smile, so give them one of yours, As none needs a smile so much as he who has no more to give
1 person likes this
@Fleura (36233)
• United Kingdom
17 Jun
@JudyEv It does, doesn't it? I didn't know who wrote it, but it seems to be Frank Irving Fletcher (1881 - 1963).
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (389253)
• Rockingham, Australia
17 Jun
What a great verse and it really says it all. Thanks for sharing it with us.
1 person likes this
@thelme55 (79900)
• Germany
16 Jun
The kids are so cute. Yes, I give smiles to others but only to those I know.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (389253)
• Rockingham, Australia
17 Jun
In some cultures/countries you'd need to be careful who you smiled at I guess.
1 person likes this
@thelme55 (79900)
• Germany
17 Jun
@JudyEv Yes, indeed. I laugh and smile often times a day.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (223813)
• United States
19 Jun
Smiling takes less muscles than a frown.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (389253)
• Rockingham, Australia
19 Jun
I did know that but I'd forgotten.
1 person likes this