TED Community » Deborah Dignam

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• A reply on Conversation: What if we measure our progress with Gross National Smiling instead of GDP?

  Jan 25 2012: Thanks Ron. I'm going to keep working on the 'smile campaign' - particularly for those who try to pretend that they can't see other people in public. It is too easy to be glum - we should 'smile our way through', the tougher the opponent (often ourselves) the wider the grin. :)
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  A reply on Conversation: What if we measure our progress with Gross National Smiling instead of GDP?

  Jan 25 2012: Smiling on the inside is something that lots of people feel comfortable with. Your face may not show it but your soul feels it.

• A comment on Conversation: What if we measure our progress with Gross National Smiling instead of GDP?

  Jan 25 2012: Has anyone experienced or been involved with any of these events http://www.worldsmileday.com/ ? It would be interesting to measure happiness on this day.

• A comment on Conversation: What if we measure our progress with Gross National Smiling instead of GDP?

  Jan 25 2012: Great to see this post as smiling has been on my mind all day. January in the UK is very, very glum and the dark days are really hard to work through. The constant weight of the economy is weighing every one down and all we hear about is what is wrong and how nobody knows how to fix it. Unfortunately for most people regardless of how the economy is repaired or what changes are taken to fix it life will remain the same. The same issues will need to be addressed daily and even if there is financial stability there will be moral and emotional instability. I couldn't help but wonder this morning as I queued for my coffee how much nicer it would have been if someone had smiled at me instead of pushing me, closing the door in my face, grimacing when I held the door open for them etc etc I am a firm believer in demonstrating what I believe and so I personally make the effort to smile at my barista, the lady next to me, the person at the door or whoever else I make contact with. Living alongside each other in whatever country should involve interaction and a smile is the greatest 'social breaker' we all have. It costs nothing and goes a long way - much more than what can be said for GDP. Thanks for the thoughts.