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M. E. Ansfield, “Smiling when distressed: when a smile is a frown turned upside down,” Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, vol. 33, no. 6, pp. 763–775, 2007.M. J. Wieser, P. Pauli, M. Grosseibl, I. Molzow, and A. Mühlberger, “Virtual social interactions in social anxiety—the impact of sex, gaze, and interpersonal distance,” Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, vol. 13, no. 5, pp. 547–554, 2010.

In study 2, we additionally varied the properties of the social relationship. Besides testing participants while they were alone in the room (no sociality), we varied two other types of social situations by testing participants in the presence of the experimenter (formal other) and in the presence of their partner (intimate other). In both social situations, the partner/experimenter was seated such that he/she was facing the participant, thus representing situations with high sociality. Given that we only included couples that had been in a partnership for more than six months, we feel justified to label the partner as an intimate other. To increase statistical power, we used a within-subject design: each participant was tested in each of the three situations. The order of social situations was balanced across participants. (Given that we investigated both partners, subjects participated in the “intimate other” situation twice: once while experiencing pain and once while observing the partner. To exclude the possibility that participants’ smiling during the “intimate other” situation was not affected by having observed the partner before, we correlated the occurrence of smiling between partners and found no significant correlations.) Participants were told that we were interested in how pain perception changes across time and across social situations. In the nonsocial condition, subjects were alone in the experimental room but they knew that their faces were being videotaped. Participants were instructed not to talk during the stimulation. In all three conditions, participants were informed that they would receive 20 thermal stimuli of different intensities and that after each stimulus they should provide a VAS rating (VAS scale appeared on the screen after each stimulus). To avoid sensitization, the site of stimulation was changed after each social condition.Surprisingly, smiling was also displayed when participants were alone in the room, though to a lesser degree than in the partner situation. This finding is less consistent with the assumption that smiling during pain belongs solely to the group of affiliative smiles. However, as stated in the introduction, it is possible that smiling during pain—besides belonging to the group of affiliative smiles—is also part of an opponent intrapersonal process, namely, a self-regulatory process that counterbalances the negative affective state [4, 9, 22, 23], given that smiling has been shown to reduce perceived pain intensity making individuals more pain tolerant [24]. Thus, smiling during pain might not only have social but also nonsocial determinants. However, this interpretation is only speculative, since we did not assess whether smiling leads to an improved mood or less unpleasantness during the painful experiences. Furthermore, it is possible that subjects did not really feel completely alone, given that they knew that their face was being videotaped.

A. Papa and G. A. Bonanno, “Smiling in the face of adversity: the interpersonal and intrapersonal functions of smiling,” Emotion, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 1–12, 2008.However, it seems even more likely that smiles occurring during pain belong to the group of affiliate smiles that express positive social motives. These social motives are believed to be the creation and maintenance of social bonds [8]. In the context of pain, which is often a threatening, distressful, and highly arousing experience [10], social bonding might be especially important in order to engage social support. In the present studies, we addressed the question of whether smiles occurring during the experience of pain really belong to this group of socially motivated affiliate smiles. To answer this question, we tested participants in different social settings. If smiling during pain does indeed serve social motives, then smiles in response to painful stimulation should be significantly affected by social context manipulations.We found that the occurrence of smiling while experiencing non-painful and painful heat stimuli differed depending on the intensity of stimulation, the level of sociality, and the properties of the relationship between interactants. Most robust findings were found for the level of stimulus intensity, with smiling occurring much more frequently, intensely, and enduringly during painful compared to non-painful stimulation. Moreover, the properties of the relationship had a considerable impact, with smiling being reduced in the presence of a formal other, whereas the presence of the partner significantly increased the smiling behavior. Like smiles during other types of nonenjoyment states, the smile of pain might be less of a sign of the underlying affect than a reflection of social motives. Future studies have to investigate which impact the occurrence of smiling during pain has on the observer. Does it really strengthen social bonds or is the observer rather irritated by this seemingly pain-incongruent facial expression? Given the importance of the facial communication of pain in social interactions (elicitation of solicitous behaviors and empathic responses in the observers) and for pain diagnostic and pain treatment [25], it would be very disadvantageous for the person in pain if smiling during pain elicits a feeling of irritation in the observer.In study 1, the degree of smiling was compared between two levels of sociality: high versus moderate. The experimenter was always in the room with the participant. The differences between the conditions were that the experimenter either faced the participant throughout the experimental procedure (visual interaction was possible) or the experimenter sat behind a computer screen so that no eye-contact was possible throughout the experimental procedure (nonvisual interaction). Prior to reporting to the laboratory, participants were assigned at random to one of the two conditions. Participants were informed that they would receive 20 thermal stimuli of different intensities and that after each stimulus they should provide a VAS rating (the VAS-scale appeared on the screen after each stimulus).

The pain threshold did not differ between participants being observed by the experimenter (mean: 45.9°C; SD: 1.5) and those not being observed (mean: 45.9°C; SD: 1.1) ().

K. M. Prkachin and P. E. Solomon, “The structure, reliability and validity of pain expression: evidence from patients with shoulder
pain,” Pain, vol. 139, no. 2, pp. 267–274, 2008.In both studies, participants were asked to rate the intensity of their pain (see Table 1) on visual analogue scales (VASs). The VAS used in study 1 was labelled with verbal anchors from “no pain” (0) to “extremely strong pain” (100). In order to also assess more differentially the non-painful intensities, the VAS used in study 2was labeled with the verbal anchor “faintly painful” in the centre so that all non-painful sensations were rated below 50 and all painful ones at 50 or above (subjects were instructed that the lower end meant no felt change in the temperature and the upper end would indicate extremely strong pain). Subjects provided ratings after each stimulus.

E. Jakobs, A. S. R. Manstead, and A. H. Fischer, “Social motives, emotional feelings, and smiling,” Cognition and Emotion, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 321–345, 1999.

Two studies were conducted (see Table 1). In study 1, involving a slight variation in the level of sociality, an experimenter always remained in the room either facing the participant (visual interaction = high sociality) or seated behind a computer screen that blocked the experimenter’s face (nonvisual interaction = moderate sociality). In study 2, the level of sociality and the properties of the social relationship were varied (testing subjects alone = no sociality, in the presence of their partner = high sociality/intimate other, and in the presence of the experimenter = high sociality/formal other).C. Eccleston, A. C. D. C. Williams, and W. Stainton Rogers, “Patients’ and professionals’ understandings of the causes of chronic pain: bslame, responsibility and identity protection,” Social Science and Medicine, vol. 45, no. 5, pp. 699–709, 1997. R. L. Solomon and J. D. Corbit, “An opponent-process theory of motivation: I. Temporal dynamics of affect,” Psychological Review, vol. 81, no. 2, pp. 119–145, 1974. The authors thank Florian Bauer, Nina Kunzelmann, Jessica Peter, and Viktoria Zorn for the support in data collection and FACS coding. These studies were supported by an FNK grant of the University of Bamberg (study 1) and a research grant from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (Ku2294/4) (study 2). The authors declare that there no conflict of interests.In both studies, pain was induced by the use of a Peltier-based, computerized thermal stimulator (Medoc TSA-2001; Medoc Ltd, Ramat Yishai, Israel). The contact probe was attached to the left lower leg. To ensure that the temperature intensities were perceived as painful but not too painful in all subjects (in order to prevent floor as well as ceiling effects), temperature intensities were tailored to the individual’s pain threshold. Thus, heat pain thresholds were determined first using the method of adjustment. Subjects were asked to adjust a temperature starting from 38°C, using heating and cooling buttons, until they obtained a level which was barely painful. A constant press of the buttons produced a heating or cooling rate of 0.5°C/s. Following a familiarization trial, there were 5 trials and the average of these trials was taken as the pain threshold. Following the assessment of pain thresholds, phasic heat stimuli 5 s (plateau; rate of change: 4°C/s; baseline temperature: 38°C; interstimulus intervals of 20–25 s) were applied to the lower leg. Two different stimulus intensities were applied, namely, painful (+3°C above the pain threshold) as well as nonpainful (−3°C below the pain threshold). Applying nonpainful intensities allows the determination of the degree to which smiling during thermal stimulation was specific for painful experiences. In each experimental block of studies 1 and 2, participants always received 10 painful and 10 non-painful stimuli in a random order.

In a recent comprehensive article on smiling [8], the authors suggest that there are three different types of smiles which have discrete functions. One group of smiles, labeled “enjoyment smiles,” is believed to indeed be readouts of positive emotions like happiness. Another group, labeled as “dominance smiles,” refers to the smiles that reflect a dominant social status or control. The third group, labeled as “affiliative smiles,” refers to those smiles that express positive social motives and serve the purpose of creating and maintaining social bonds [8]. To which of these categories do smiles occurring during pain belong? By definition, pain is an unpleasant experience (IASP, 1986) and thus, it seems unlikely that smiles occurring during pain are enjoyment smiles that are readouts of a positive emotion. However, from the perspective of the opponent process theory [9]—which assumes that the arousal of a primary affect (e.g., pain) also initiates the arousal of a consequent opponent process (e.g., positive affect)—smiling during the experience of pain could indeed reflect the arousal of an opponent positive affective state, arising from an inherent homeostatic adjustment to the arousal of a negative affective state. Smiling during the experience of pain could indeed reflect the arousal of an opponent positive affective state arising from an inherent homeostatic adjustment to the arousal of a negative affective state.In the second study, we decided to investigate whether smiling during pain is affected by more substantial changes in the level of sociality as well as by the properties of the social relationship between interactants. To do this, participants experienced three separate conditions in a repeated measures design: a nonsocial condition in which they experienced heat and pain while being alone, a condition in which they were aware of an observing experimenter (high sociality/formal other), and a condition in which they experienced stimulation in the presence of a person with whom they were familiar or intimate (high sociality/intimate other). We found that the degree of smiling during pain varied as a function of stimulus intensity, level of sociality, and properties of the social relationship.

We found a significant main effect for stimulus intensity (; ). As can be seen in Table 2, VAS ratings for the painful stimuli were significantly higher than for the non-painful stimuli. The social situation (alone versus intimate other versus formal other) yielded no significant main effect (; ). However, both factors (stimulus intensity and social situation) significantly interacted with each other (; ). Post hoc -tests revealed that this interaction was due to the ratings for the non-painful stimuli being significantly higher when tested with the partner compared to the other two situations (; see Table 2).

F. R. Schneier, J. M. Kent, A. Star, and J. Hirsch, “Neural circuitry of submissive behavior in social anxiety disorder: a preliminary study of response to direct eye gaze,” Psychiatry Research—Neuroimaging, vol. 173, no. 3, pp. 248–250, 2009.

As can be seen in Figure 2, AU 12 significantly increased during painful heat stimulation compared to the non-painful stimulation (; ). However, the degree of smiling did not vary between participants being observed by the experimenter and those not being observed (; ) (see also Figure 1 for examples of smiling occurring during painful stimulation in both groups). Thus, slight variations of the level of sociality (by restricting the visual interaction) did not lead to differences in smiling during pain, nor did the social situation interact with the impact of stimulus intensity (; ). Overall, smiles occurred in 21% of all pain trials across all subjects.We found a significant main effect for stimulus intensities on VAS ratings (; ). As can be seen in Table 2, VAS ratings for the painful stimuli were significantly higher than for the nonpainful stimuli. The social situation (high sociality versus moderate sociality) yielded no significant effect (; ) and did not interact with stimulus intensity (; ).

C. R. Harris and N. Alvarado, “Facial expressions, smile types, and self-report during humour, tickle, and pain,” Cognition and Emotion, vol. 19, no. 5, pp. 655–669, 2005.

In both studies, the faces of the participants were videotaped throughout the pain induction procedures. The camera was located on top of the computer screen, and subjects were told that besides their self-report of pain, we were also assessing their behavioral responses to pain. A LED was visible on the camera but not to the participant, was illuminated concurrent with the phasic thermal stimuli to mark the onset of stimulation (see also Figure 1). Smiling was coded from the video recordings using the Facial Action Coding System [6], which is based on anatomical analysis of facial movements and distinguishes 44 different Action Units (AUs) produced by single muscles or combinations of muscles. We focused only on the occurrence of Action Unit 12 (AU 12; lip corner raise), the product of zygomaticus major activity. AU 12 is the principal movement recognized by observers as indicating a smile. Ekman et al. [12] showed that the intensity and duration of this action were associated with self-reports of happiness and predicted which of the two emotionally pleasant films people reported making them more happy. Harris and Alvarado [13] showed that AU 12 combined with AU 6 (contraction of orbicularis oculi) in the form of a “Duchenne smile” [14] occurred more frequently while watching comedy sketches and being tickled than during cold pressor pain. Since AU 6 is also a main component of pain expressions making it difficult to decide whether the orbicularis oculi activation is part of the pain or part of the smile expression, we decided to focus exclusively on AU 12 in the present studies.M. G. Frank, P. Ekman, and W. V. Friesen, “Behavioral markers and recognizability of the smile of enjoyment,” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 64, no. 1, pp. 83–93, 1993.In both studies, we also applied non-painful heat intensities to investigate whether smiles indeed occur more often during painful stimulation and to exclude the possibility that smiles during pain are only an experimental artifact. In both studies, smiling did differ according to the nature of the stimulus delivered with participants smiling more when the thermal stimulation was painful than when it was not. Thus, there is indeed a link between the painful quality/intensity of the stimulation and the smiling behavior. Consequently, it is not the experimental context by itself that elicits smiling, but indeed something about the painful intensity of the thermal stimuli.

A. J. Fridlund, “Sociality of solitary smiling: potentiation by an implicit audience,” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 60, no. 2, pp. 229–240, 1991.

P. Ekman, W. V. Freisen, and S. Ancoli, “Facial signs of emotional experience,” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 39, no. 6, pp. 1125–1134, 1980.In study 1, 63 University of Bamberg (Germany) students were recruited via advertisements posted in the university buildings. Participants were randomly assigned to be tested either in a situation of moderate sociality (nonvisual interaction; = 15 and = 17; mean age = years) or of high sociality (visual interaction was possible; and ; mean age = years). In study 2, couples who had been in a relationship for more than 6 months were recruited via advertisements in the local newspaper. All of the 100 participants (50 couples; mean age = years) were tested in three different social situations: alone (nonsocial), in the presence of the partner (high sociality/intimate other), and in the presence of the experimenter (high sociality/formal other) (see Table 1).

Our data clearly show that a high level of sociality does not lead to increased smiling during pain per se. Instead, smiling was even diminished if subjects were in the presence of the experimenter, whereas smiling occurred quite frequently when participants were being observed by their partner. This finding is consistent with the assumption that social motives should differ depending on whether one interacts with a friend/partner or a stranger [19]. Moreover, this finding would also be in line with the assumption that smiling during pain belongs to the group of affiliative smiles that serve the motives of initiating social interactions or strengthening and maintaining social bonds [8]. Given that pain is an unpleasant experience [10], social bonding might be especially important in this situation. Individuals might smile during the experience of moderate pain intensities in the presence of their partner in order to elicit positive emotions in their partner, thereby increasing positive social interactions, empathy, and potential support. Indeed, it has been shown that the display of smiles during negative affect (sadness) was associated with more positive emotions and less frustration in observers as well as with the self-reports of better relationships [20]. The relationship between participant and the experimenter, on the other hand, was of a completely different nature. It was solely professional in this study, and thus, the participants might not have felt the need to display smiles. Moreover, it seems likely that the existence of salient role and/or status differences between experimenter and participant defined a more formal social relationship, more likely to promote self-monitoring and suppression on the part of the participant [21]. The findings suggest that being in the presence of the experimenter inhibits the degree of smiling, whereas the presence of an intimate partner tends to “release” smiling during painful stimulation. Accordingly, the level of sociality alone does not seem to be the crucial factor, but instead the relationship between sending and receiving persons seems to determine whether smiles are shown in response to pain.

P. Ekman, “Universals and cultural differences in facial expression of emotion,” in Nebraska Symposium on Motivation 1971, J. Cole, Ed., pp. 207–283, University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, Mass, USA, 1972.K. Zweyer, B. Velker, and W. Ruch, “Do cheerfulness, exhilaration, and humor production moderate pain tolerance? A FACS study,” International Journal of Humor Research, vol. 17, no. 1-2, pp. 85–119, 2004.

In both studies, the frequencies and intensities of AU 12 during all painful and non-painful stimuli were coded. Intensity is coded on a 5-point scale, ranging from “trace” to strong. To segment videos and to enter the FACS codes, we used the Observer Video-Pro (Noldus Information Technology). Time segments of 5 s (plateau duration of each stimulus) were selected for scoring. We scored AU 12 whenever it occurred (regardless of whether other AUs occurred simultaneously or not). The data were FACS coded by 5 coders. In order to calculate interrater reliability, a certified FACS Coder (MK) coded 5% of video segments coded by each of the 5 coders. Interrater reliability, as calculated using the Ekman-Friesen formula ([6] number of AU 12 agreed upon × 2 divided by the overall occurrences of AU 12 coded), ranged from 0.89 to 0.94, which compares favourably with other researches in the FACS literature. For further analyses, product scores for AU 12 (intensity × frequency) were computed. This was done separately for painful and non-painful stimulation. As a last step, the product scores for AU 12 were square-root-transformed given their skewed distribution across subjects. Examples of AU 12 can also be seen in Figure 1.

The aim of the present studies was to investigate whether the seemingly incongruent facial expression “smile” occurring during the experience of pain belongs to the group of affiliate smiles [8] that serve the purpose of communicating social motives (e.g., initiating social interactions or strengthening and maintaining social bonds). To evaluate the social motives account of smiling during pain, two studies were conducted in which the level of sociality was systematically varied and different properties of the social relationship were considered.

Studies of facial responses during experimental and clinical pain have revealed a surprising phenomenon, namely, that a considerable number of individuals respond with a smile. So far, it is not known why smiling occurs during pain. It is possible that the “smile of pain” is socially motivated (e.g., reinforcing social bonds while undergoing an unpleasant experience). The present studies were conducted in an attempt to address the role of social motives in smiling during pain. In two studies, we varied the quantitative (level of sociality) and qualitative (properties of the relationship between interactants) components of the situations in which participants received painful stimulation. Participants’ faces were video-recorded and the occurrence of smiling was assessed. The occurrence of smiling differed depending on stimulus intensity and the properties of the relationship between interactants. Smiling occurred more often during the painful compared to nonpainful stimulation. Whereas the presence of a stranger (experimenter) reduced the smiling behavior, the presence of an intimate other increased it. Slight variations in the level of sociality, however, had no effect on the degree of smiling. Social motives possibly aimed at strengthening social bonds and thus ensuring social support appear to underlie smiling during pain.D. Keltner and G. A. Bonanno, “A study of laughter and dissociation: distinct correlates of laughter and smiling during bereavement,” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 73, no. 4, pp. 687–702, 1997.There is now a substantial body of literature showing that people in pain evince a number of specific facial movements [1], with a set of at least three or four distinct facial actions showing a close linkage to pain [2, 3]. However, this core set of pain-indicative facial actions is often blended with a range of seemingly incongruent expressions. Among the most frequently reported—in experimental as well as clinical studies [2, 3]—is the action of the zygomatic major muscle, which pulls the lip corners upward obliquely [4]. This finding appears surprising because the action of the zygomatic major is better known as the principal movement in the most common human facial expression—the smile [5, 6]. Given that facial expressions occurring during pain have been shown to not only impact social interactions (by eliciting solicitous behaviors and empathic responses in observers) but also impact pain diagnostic and pain treatment we believe it is important to investigate this seemingly incongruent facial expression, namely, “smiling during pain.” Although one might initially associate a smile with happiness or at least with a marker of a positive, non-painful affective state, it
has been shown that there are different types of smiles and, interestingly, many of them appear not to be signs of felt happiness [5, 7].

After all, finding the will to greet your suffering with a smile is no easy task when what you really want to do is cry, complain, or lay down in defeat.

50. “All the tears are going to dry, you know, because someday you’ll laugh at the heartache. Someday you’ll laugh at the pain. You may be down on your luck but, baby, that old luck’s going to change.” – Michael Bolton

Are you trying to figure out what you’re doing too? Why not join the community and tag along for the ride? I’ll send through the tips, updates, info and inspiration that I come across on this journey!

44. “Keep on shining, keep on smiling, don’t lose faith, and don’t lose heart. When you’re crying, just keep trying to remind yourself, you’re a shining star, yes you are.” – LeAnn Rimes97. “Few things in the world are more powerful than a positive push. A smile. A world of optimism and hope. A ‘you can do it’ when things are tough.” – Richard M. Devos 48. “Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams.” – Ashley Smith 79. “Smiling is definitely one of the best beauty remedies. If you have a good sense of humour and a good approach to life, that’s beautiful.” – Rashida Jones52. “It’s so hard to forget pain, but it’s even harder to remember sweetness. We have no scar to show for happiness. We learn so little from peace.” – Chuck PalahniukWhether you read or hear them, keep smiling quotes can trigger the inner strength required to cope with whatever’s happening inside and put on a brave face.43. “Someday, everything will make perfect sense. So for now, laugh at the confusion, smile through the tears, be strong and keep reminding yourself that everything happens for a reason.” – John Mayer 77. “Even with the most horrendous things that happen and the tremendous pain that people have to deal with, they still laugh because I think that’s what it means to be human.” – Gail Honeyman 18. “I have found that a smile and a stick will carry you through all right, and in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred, it is the smile that does the trick.” – Robert Powell89. “Smiling through confusion is courage. Smiling through tears is strength. Smiling through pain is power. Smiling through tragedy is greatness.” – Matshona Dhliwayo

47. “What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. These are but trifles, to be sure; but scattered along life’s pathway, the good they do is inconceivable.” – Joseph Addison

93. “Don’t be gloomy. Do not dwell on unkind things. Stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight. Even if you are not happy, put a smile on your face. ‘Accentuate the positive.’ Look a little deeper for the good. Go forward in life with a twinkle in your eye and a smile on your face, with great and strong purpose in your heart. Love life.” – Gordon B. Hinckley80. “If you have only one smile in you, give it to the people you love. Don’t be surly at home, then go out in the street and start grinning ‘Good morning’ at total strangers.” – Maya Angelou 42. “After every storm the sun will smile; for every problem there is a solution, and the soul’s indefeasible duty is to be of good cheer.” – William Rounseville Alger 100. “Why worry? There should be laughter after pain. There should be sunshine after rain. These things have always been the same. So why worry now? Why worry now?” – Dire Straits74. “In life, there are going to be some things that make it hard to smile. Through all the rain and pain, you got to keep your sense of humor and smile for me now. Remember that.” – Tupac Shakur

84. “Drive away and try to keep smiling. Get a little rock and roll on the radio and go toward life with all the courage you can find and all the belief you can muster. Be true, be brave, stand.” – Stephen King 14. “Nothing can resist the person who smiles at life ― I don’t mean the ironic and disillusioned smile of my grandfather, but the triumphant smiles of the person who knows that he will survive, or that at least he will be saved by what seems to be destroying him.” – Pierre Teilhard de Chardin 60. “This is my wish for you: Comfort on difficult days, smiles when sadness intrudes, rainbows to follow the clouds, laughter to kiss your lips, sunsets to warm your heart, hugs when spirits sag, beauty for your eyes to see, friendships to brighten your being, faith so that you can believe, confidence for when you doubt, courage to know yourself, patience to accept the truth, love to complete your life.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson46. “I’ve learned that even when I have pains, I don’t have to be one. I’ve learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.” – Maya Angelou

83. “Remember even though the outside world might be raining, if you keep on smiling the sun will soon show its face and smile back at you.” – Anna LeeMaybe it’s because we have to ‘just get on with it’ (for ourselves or others around us) or maybe we’ve been here before, and we know it will end. Eventually.

Many people find that humor helps them cope. Instead of struggling with a challenge, they use humor to lessen the stress of a situation. Having a good sense of humor provides an outlet for stress and disappointment, making you more resilient when faced with another challenge.A smile can brighten a room, lift your mood and those around you. It doesn’t mean you’re lying to yourself, not taking a situation seriously or keeping your ‘head in the clouds’ – it’s simply a way to look at the bright side of life, to look for the fun and bond with others.

7. “Even with the most horrendous things that happen and the tremendous pain that people have to deal with, they still laugh because I think that’s what it means to be human.” — Gail Honeyman

It may be to convince our loved ones or even ourselves that everything is ok and there’s no reason to worry. We may also not want anyone to know about our pain and handle it by ourselves. It could even be because we want to keep up appearances.

18. “When life gives you a hundred reasons to break down and cry, show life that you have a million reasons to smile and laugh. Stay strong.” — Unknown

20. “I have found that a smile and a stick will carry you through all right, and in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred, it is the smile that does the trick.” — Robert Powell9. “Smiling through the confusion is courage. Smiling through tears is strength. Smiling through pain is power. Smiling through tragedy is greatness.” — Matshona Dhliwayo

If you’ve been searching for inspirational quotes about smiling through the pain, you’ve come to the right place! You’re about to discover the best quotes about smiling through pain that will motivate you to put on a brave face when you feel sad and broken.2. “Someday, everything will make perfect sense. So for now, laugh at the confusion, smile through the tears, be strong and keep reminding yourself that everything happens for a reason.” — John Mayer15. “After every storm, the sun will smile; for every problem, there is a solution, and the soul’s indefeasible duty is to be of good cheer.” — William R. Alger 8. “If you have only one smile in you, give it to the people you love. Don’t be surly at home, then go out in the street and start grinning ‘good morning’ at total strangers.” — Maya Angelou 5. “Let us make one point, that we meet each other with a smile when it is difficult to smile. Smile at each other, make time for each other in your family.” — Mother Teresa 13. “I’m not used to crying. It’s a little difficult. All my life, I’ve had to fight. It’s just another fight I’m going to have to learn how to win, that’s all. I’m just going to have to keep smiling.” — Serena Williams 4. “What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. These are but trifles, to be sure; but scattered along life’s pathway, the good they do is inconceivable.” — Joseph Addison23. “Why worry? There should be laughter after pain. There should be sunshine after rain. These things have always been the same. So why worry now? Why worry now?” — Dire Straits

30. “Laugh, even when you feel too sick or too worn out or tired. Smile, even when you’re trying not to cry, and the tears are blurring your vision.” — Alysha Speer 27. “A smile that hides the pain within the heart soothes the hearts of those who behold it. So smile even through difficult tildes.” — Mufti Ismail Menk 22. “All the tears are going to dry, you know because someday you’ll laugh at the heartache. Someday you’ll laugh at the pain. You may be down on your luck but, baby, that old luck’s going to change.” — Michael Bolton

28. “It’s so hard to forget pain, but it’s even harder to remember sweetness. We have no scar to show for happiness. We learn so little from peace.” — Chuck Palahniuk18. “I will keep smiling, be positive and never give up! I will give 100 percent each time I play. These are always my goals and my attitude.” — Yani Tseng

24. “Even if you cannot change all the people around you, you can change the people you choose to be around. Life is too short to waste your time on people who don’t respect, appreciate, and value you. Spend your life with people who make you smile, laugh, and feel loved.” — Roy T. Bennett21. “Nothing can resist the person who smiles at life ― I don’t mean the ironic and disillusioned smile of my grandfather, but the triumphant smiles of the person who knows that he will survive, or that at least he will be saved by what seems to be destroying him.” — Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

11. “No matter how grouchy you’re feeling, you’ll find the smile more or less healing. It grows in a wreath, all around the front teeth – Thus preserving the face from congealing.” — Anthony Euwer

6. “Keep on shining, keep on smiling, don’t lose faith, and don’t lose heart. When you’re crying, just keep trying to remind yourself, you’re a shining star, yes you are.” — LeAnn Rimes 1. “If someone does not smile at you, be generous and offer your own smile. Nobody needs a smile more than the one that cannot smile to others.” — Dalai Lama 14. “The prettiest smiles hide the deepest secrets. The brightest eyes have cried the most tears. The kindest hearts have felt the most pain.” — Unknown

27. “Happiness is the choice I make today. It does not rest on my circumstances but on my frame of mind… In cultivating the habits of happiness, I attract people and situations that match its frequency. I smile more often, give praise more often, give thanks more often, and am glad more often. For such is my choice today.” — Marianne Williamson

3. “People may be smiling but look to the eyes because they can’t hide the sorrow, pain, and heartache they’re trying to hide behind their smile.” — Karon Waddell

3. “Just because you fail once doesn’t mean you’re gonna fail at everything. Keep trying, hold on, and always, always, always believe in yourself, because if you don’t, then who will, sweetie? So keep your head high, keep your chin up, and most importantly, keep smiling, because life’s a beautiful thing and there’s so much to smile about.” — Marilyn Monroe1. “Remember, even though the outside world might be raining, if you keep on smiling, the sun will soon show its face and smile back at you.” — Ana Lee 1. “Smiling is definitely one of the best beauty remedies. If you have a good sense of humor and a good approach to life, that’s beautiful.” — Rashida Jones 16. “Hide all your problems behind your sweetest smile. Because there is no one to help you out with your problems. You alone have to face it. So face it with a smile.” — Unknown3. “Even when you tear its petals off one after another, the rose keeps laughing and doesn’t bend in pain. ‘Why should I be afflicted because of a thorn? It is the thorn which taught me how to laugh.’” — Rumi 8. “…and he smiled a lot. The smile did not mean that he was happy. It meant he was stronger than most people, and that he intended to take advantage of it.” — Michael Cadnum 6. “It doesn’t matter who hurt you. What matters is who made you smile again. It doesn’t matter who hurt you, or broke you down, what matters is who made you smile again.” — Unknown23. “This is my wish for you: Comfort on difficult days, smiles when sadness intrudes, rainbows to follow the clouds, laughter to kiss your lips, sunsets to warm your heart, hugs when spirits sag, beauty for your eyes to see, friendships to brighten your being, faith so that you can believe, confidence for when you doubt, courage to know yourself, patience to accept the truth.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson 26. “In life, there are going to be some things that make it hard to smile. Through all the rain and pain, you got to keep your sense of humor and smile for me now. Remember that.” — ‘Smile’ by Tupac Shakur 18. “I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. ‘Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death.” — Thomas Paine

7. “Drive away and try to keep smiling. Get a little rock and roll on the radio and go toward life with all the courage you can find and all the belief you can muster. Be true, be brave, stand.” — Stephen King

15. “Sometimes life brings you to such a pathetic situation that you feel smiling is far better than explaining why we are sad or emotionally tired.” — Unknown3. “It was only a sunny smile, and little it cost in the giving, but like the morning light, it scattered the night and made the day worth living.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald

3. “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” — Leo F. Buscaglia

At Elite Physical Therapy and Balance Center, we want you feeling better faster. Therapy can start same day of first evaluation. To request an appointment, click here.Happy World Smile Day from Elite! When we think about physical therapy, we probably do not think about smiling being part of the healing, but it definitely is. Here are four big reasons to smile, even when it hurts:

What if you just cannot make yourself genuinely smile through it? This might be because of confidence in your smile and wanting to better your smile before you start regularly grinning. Maybe do your research, such as searching for partials dentures Memphis way or wherever your location may be, to start your journey to becoming a smiler! Some research suggests to fake it until you make it. “Smile and laugh more often: the brain does not know the difference between a fake and real smile. If you’re feeling down or notice that you’ve not smiled in a while, fake one. The more often you fake a smile, the more likely smiling will become a more natural habit.” -NeuroNationUsing catchy and attractive captions for a selfie or smile-based Instagram posts expresses the image better and at the same time brings about an emotional touch. The right set of captions is the one that brings a lot of traction and engagement to your posts, besides other factors. On that note, here are 250+ best, cool, and most stylish Instagram captions handpicked on the basis of uniqueness and reach that you can use alongside your next smile posts on Instagram.We’ve detected that JavaScript is disabled in this browser. Please enable JavaScript or switch to a supported browser to continue using twitter.com. You can see a list of supported browsers in our Help Center.Suicide can be a particular threat for individuals suffering from smiling depression. Typically, people suffering from classic, severe depression might have suicidal thoughts, but not the energy to act on their feelings. However, those suffering from smiling depression have the energetic ability to plan and follow through. This is why smiling depression can be more dangerous than a classic form of severe depression.