History of World Smile Day

劉峰

Sometimes all it takes to make the day better is a smile， whether it's one someone gives to you， or one you share with another. Little acts of kindness can bring a shining smile to someone who has otherwise had a terrible day， and it can change everything that follows.

Whether it's just a simple compliment， a cheery hello， or a gift of something small to help brighten their day， World Smile Day encourages you to take action to bring a few more smiles into the world.

It was a simple thing， a circle with a few dots and an upturned curve， but put together Harvey Ball created one of the most iconic symbols the world had ever seen， and it would quickly come to infect everything from graffiti （涂鴉） to modern day emoji's.

We are， of course， talking about the smiley face， arguably the first emoji to enter the world. Harvey would later express concern that the sheer commercialization of his little symbol would strip （除去） it of its original intent and meaning.

It was out of this concern that he created World Smile Day， a day devoted to the spreading of simple joy and love to everyone， regardless of race， gender， or geographic location.

Harvey sadly passed from this world in 2001， but the foundation he helped create， the Harvey Ball World Smile Foundation， has carried forth his message of simple peace and love as the sponsor of World Smile Day every year.

Whether you're simply expressing a bit of silliness or doing a small act of kindness to help someone smile， World Smile Day is your opportunity to help brighten the world and make the world a better place through the simple power of the smile.

How to celebrate World Smile Day

It all starts with keeping your eyes and heart open to the people around you， and recognizing when someone nearby could use a momentary lift to their day.

Everyone can make a difference on World Smile Day， just by being caring and compassionate and helping those around them have the best day they can have. Those who are truly ambitious can check out the World Smile Day website and look into becoming a World Smile Day ambassador.

World Smile Day Ambassador's go the extra mile （加倍努力） in setting up events at local businesses， schools， parks， even online to help spread the simple joy of a smile to the world.