Smiling is not one of those things we usually hear experts talk about when discussing ways we can better connect with our spouse but when we came up with the daily actions for the StrongLuv Marriage Experiment we didn’t only ask the experts — we wanted to hear from REAL COUPLES what worked for them.

I would never have thought of “smiling” for one the 21 actions but when a super fun and somewhat sassy couple that have been married for many years suggested we “Smile with Our Teeth” at least a couple times a day, my interest was piqued.

In the three decades, I’ve known Henry and Mary, it’s always been evident that this couple has it going on.  They laugh together, play together, exercise together, adventure together, serve together, build stuff together — and apparently smile together.

Strong Marriage Experiment Day 6 – Smile Your Way to a Happier Marriage

Smile (with your teeth 🙂 ) as often and as genuinely as possible throughout the day

I’ll admit, today’s Strong Marriage challenge to smile with our teeth felt a little forced at first.  The good news is, like many of you, we have a history of forcing ourselves to do awkward, uncomfortable things for the sake of our marriage so we went with it.

We’d say things like “say cheese” and just start laughing.  It was fun and silly and, honestly, I can’t tell you what the long term benefit will be but I’m guessing we’ll be thinking more about intentionally smiling.

Showing your teeth does convey more joy somehow and smiling in general just makes you feel better.  It’s magic.  It’s science too.  When you smile, you feel happier.

It was sweet to have all the opportunities to see those happy lines and dimples on David’s handsome face, and believe it or not, sometime during the day, those broad open smiles started feeling less forced and more fun.

This would have been a perfect action to have on the “things to do every day” list, but we weren’t sure if we would feel bogged down if we added a bunch of daily actions to the experiment so we gave “smiling” it’s very own day!

If flashing these pearly whites for each other more often paves the way for the kind of marriage Henry and Mary have, even in the smallest way, we’re in.

TAKE ACTION:  Don’t tell anyone you’re doing it, but sit back and see how your spouse, kids, co-workers, and neighbors respond to you when you consciously smile more while interacting with them.  It may feel awkward at first like it did for me but, like any habit, it will become more natural for you over time.  Who knows, you just might smile your way to a happier marriage!

Want to get serious about taking your marriage to the next level?  Make sure to join the LUVolution!