The Power of a Smile

June 24, 2026

Over the last eighteen months, I have spent a lot of time in hospitals, clinics, infusion centers, waiting rooms, hotel lobbies, elevators, and doctor's offices. I've met people facing some of the hardest days of their lives.

I've watched families celebrate good news and quietly absorb difficult news. Through all of it, one thing has stood out to me more than I expected: A smile matters.

It is such a simple thing that we often overlook its power.

Ron Gutman gave a TED Talk called "The Hidden Power of Smiling" that explores the science behind something most of us do without thinking. Researchers have found that smiling can influence how we feel, how others perceive us, and even how we handle stress. Studies discussed in the talk suggest that people who smile are often viewed as more competent, more approachable, and more trustworthy. Smiling also appears to trigger positive responses in our brains and can help reduce some of the physical effects of stress.

What struck me most was not the science itself. It was how often I have witnessed those findings play out in real life.

I have seen nurses walk into a room carrying difficult news and still offer a warm smile that reminded a patient they were more than a chart number. I have seen fellow patients smile at one another in waiting rooms without saying a word, silently acknowledging that we were all walking a similar road. I have watched strangers exchange smiles in elevators at treatment centers and somehow make an otherwise ordinary moment feel a little less lonely.

A smile does not solve problems.

It does not cure cancer.

It does not erase grief, disappointment, fear, or uncertainty.

What it can do is remind us of our shared humanity.

One of the things cancer has taught me is that kindness is often found in the smallest moments. A door held open. A brief conversation. Someone asking how you are doing and genuinely waiting for the answer.

A smile often accompanies all of those things. It becomes a signal that says, "I see you."

Perhaps that is why smiling is contagious. Researchers have found that seeing someone smile often triggers activity in our own brains that encourages us to smile back. We are wired for connection. We are built to respond to one another.

That does not mean we need to force happiness.

There are days when smiling feels easy and days when it feels impossible. There were certainly days during treatment when I did not feel particularly cheerful. Yet even then, I discovered something interesting.
Sometimes the act of smiling was less about expressing happiness and more about expressing hope.

Hope that tomorrow would be better.

Hope that the next scan would bring good news.

Hope that the people I love would know I was still fighting.

Hope that there would be more miles to hike, more Dave Matthews concerts to attend, more family dinners to enjoy, and more memories to make.

A smile became less about pretending everything was okay and more about refusing to surrender to despair.

I find myself appreciating simple things more than I once did. A sunset. A conversation with a friend. Time with Maria and the boys. The greeting from my dog Tonks who acts like I've been gone for a year when I was only outside for five minutes.

Most of those moments naturally bring a smile.

Maybe that is part of the lesson.

We spend so much time chasing the big milestones that we forget how much of life is lived in the ordinary moments. A smile helps us notice them. It slows us down just enough to appreciate what is right in front of us.

So today, smile at someone.

Smile at a stranger.

Smile at a coworker.

Smile at the cashier.

Smile at your spouse.

Smile at your kids.

Smile at yourself in the mirror.

You never know what burden someone else is carrying. You never know when a small act of kindness might arrive at exactly the right moment.

Sometimes the simplest things turn out to be the most powerful.