Everyone Will Be Warmer: 20 Beautiful Photos That Demonstrate the Power of a Smile (19 photos)

If everyone smiled a little more often, just imagine how much better our world would be! Because a smile is incredibly powerful!

In 2013, Australian traveler and photographer Jay Weinstein saw a smile that changed everything. That encounter sparked his long-running photography project, "So I Asked Them to Smile," in which he takes portraits of strangers in different countries before and after they smile.





The Dalai Lama once said:

"Just a smile. It's the beginning of opening your heart and showing compassion to others."

A smile changes everything—not just your mood, but even your perception. Jay Weinstein's photographs show that a smile is unique to each person, and that sometimes it's hard to realize how beautiful someone is until they smile.



Many years ago, while walking the streets of Bikaner, India, Jay noticed a man leaning against a row of motorcycles. The photographer wanted to approach the Indian man, but his appearance made it clear he was best avoided.

"Take a picture of me too!" the man shouted at Jay, who was photographing the surrounding area. Jay simply replied, "Smile!"

We invite you to take a look at the portraits from the photo project, which, according to the author, document the universality of a smile, which suits everyone without exception—regardless of social status, ethnicity, religion, gender, language, and more.

"One day he was standing at the open door of a house in the old Hutong district of Beijing... And I asked him to smile."



This girl was playing on the street in an Indian city when a photographer asked her to be in frame



This man was busy with household chores, doing something over an extinguished fire with an empty kettle. Kenya



"One day he was standing at his kiosk in front of the train station when the entire city of Trivandrum declared a three-day strike in the Indian state of Kerala... And I asked him to smile."



"One evening she was playing with a friend after leaving her home in the Indian village of Turtuk... And I asked her smile"



Man in China



"He was walking down a street lined with cafes and bars as the sun was setting over Melbourne... And I asked him to smile."



"She passed by while I was walking in the park with my sister in Shanghai... And I asked her "smile"



The little girl was playing in the dust next to the road, her mother nearby. The photographer was attracted by the girl's bright outfit.



"He was watching me photograph a group of children in Gujarat, India... And I asked him to smile."



"One day he was passing by indoor shops, restaurants, and cafes, and I was strolling the streets of Little India in Singapore... And I asked him to smile." "smile"



This man was walking home with his friend. A photographer stopped them for a photo. India



The boy was playing in the yard of his family's home. He had just returned from school and had just taken off his uniform. India



"One evening they were waiting for the traffic light to turn green, and I was walking down a crowded street in Koramangali, India... And I asked them to smile."



This girl lives in a remote settlement in India



A girl in China



"One morning he was playing cricket with friends in Mumbai's Maidan Park... I asked him to smile."



A girl from the streets of one of India's cities