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Apr 24, 2007

"Smile at each other, smile at your wife, smile at your husband, smile at your children, smile at each other -- it doesn't matter who it is -- and that will help you to grow up in greater love for each other." --Mother Teresa

Smiles Per Hour in Australia

In a bid to create a more harmonious society, Port Phillip, Australia, is putting up road signs indicating a street's smiles per hour! The city has been using volunteers to find out how often people smile at those who pass them in the street. It then put up signs that look like speed limits, but tell pedestrians that they are in, for example, a "10 smiles per hour zone." Mayor Janet Bolitho says that putting up the signs is an attempt to encourage people to smile or say "G'day" -- the standard Australian greeting -- to both neighbors and strangers as they stroll down the street. Smiling, she adds, encourages people to feel more connected with each other and safer, so it reduces fear of crime -- an important element in the quality of life of many neighborhoods.