It will become warmer for everyone: 20 beautiful photos that demonstrate the full power of a smile

If all people would smile a little more often – just imagine how much better our world would become! Because a smile is a very serious force!

In 2013, Australian traveler and photographer Jay Weinstein saw a smile that changed everything. With this meeting, his long-term photo project began, a project called "And I asked them to smile" (So I asked them to smile), in which he makes portraits of strangers in different countries before and after they smile.

The Dalai Lama once said:

A smile changes everything — not only the mood, but even the perception. Pictures of Jay Weinstein show that a smile is unique to every person, and that it is sometimes difficult to understand how beautiful he is until he smiles.

Many years ago, during his walk through the streets of the Indian city of Bikaner, Jay noticed a man leaning against a row of motorcycles. The photographer wanted to turn to the Indian, but his whole appearance made it clear that it was better to avoid him.

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

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

This girl was playing on the street of one of the Indian cities when the photographer asked her to be in the frame

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

"One day he was standing near his kiosk in front of the train station when the whole city of Trivandrum announced 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 her home in the Indian village of Turtuk… And I asked her to smile."

A man in China

"He was walking down the street where there were many cafes and bars while the sun was setting on Melbourne… And I asked him to smile."

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

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

"He watched me take pictures of a group of children in Gujarat, India… And I asked him to smile."

"One day he was passing by covered shops, restaurants and cafes, and I was walking through the streets of little India in Singapore … And asked him to smile"

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

The boy was playing in the yard of his family's house. He came back from school here and just dropped his school 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 the Maidan Park in Mumbai… I asked him to smile."

A girl from the street of one of the Indian cities