With face masks no longer mandatory, Japanese are now getting coached to smile

Classes are being held in Japan to coach students on how to smile and show their teeth. — AFP

SMILING can be good for you! In Japan, wearing a mask throughout the pandemic rendered the facial expression basically useless so that it became such a rarity that residents find themselves in need of smile lessons to brush up on the muscle movement technique. Classes are even being held to coach students on how to smile and show their teeth, for a good cause.

While Finland – ranked as the happiest place in the world for the last six years – offers happiness training in the form of a learning module based around the philosophy of this state of being – it's in Japan that courses are being given on how to smile.