SMILE - Use your smile to change the world; don’t let the
world change our smile
Charles Darwin was one of the first person’s to suggest that our expressions
may actually intensify our feelings. This theory is commonly known as the
'feedback loop' or even 'facial feedback hypothesis'. Simply using the same
muscles as smiling will put one in an instant happy mood. That is because use of
those muscles is a part of how the brain evaluates mood. A smiling expression
feeds on how we experience mood, therefore making us feel happier or even a
joke seem funnier.
What constitutes of a real smile?
The importance of the eyes and forehead when smiling authentically are very
critical. The genuine smile involves not just the muscles around the
mouth, but also the ones that cause the cheeks to raise and the eyes to
crescent. People who smile just with their mouths (let’s consider the “say
cheese” smile when taking a photograph) don’t experience the same rewards as
those who are smiling with their entire face; yes, no doubt they do
experience some of the benefits, just to a lesser degree.
People who tend more easily toward duchenne smiles self-report better life
satisfaction and marriages; hence, it may be worth learning and experiencing
how to smile with more of your face in the long run.
Fake it till you make it
Smiling can trick your brain into believing you are happy which can then spur
actual feelings of happiness. But it doesn’t end there. Study shows how the
brain is connected to the immune system “over and over again”; depression
weakens your immune system, while happiness on the other hand has been shown to
boost our body’s resistance.
What is superb is that just the physical act of smiling can make a huge
difference in building your immunity. When you smile, the brain sees the
muscle’s activity and assumes that humour is actually happening. It does not
bother to sort out whether you are smiling because you are genuinely joyous, or
because you are just pretending.
Even forcing a fake smile is considered to legitimately reduce stress and lower
your heart rate. There are plenty of more studies out there to make you smile.
Smiling helps reduce the body’s response to stress and lower heart rate in
tense situations; another study linked smiling to lower blood
pressure, while yet another suggests that smiling leads to longevity.
There are too many good things that come from smiling for you in order to not
to make your smile a priority in your life. Be proactive and take care of your
smile every day. It is not only about how your smile can change how people
perceive you; it can also affect other people’s health and well-being. We all
deserve a happier, less stressful life, so share your lovely smile with others
and you will bring good things not only into your life, but into the lives of
those around you as well.
Smile, its free therapy!
Let us list down the multiple benefits of Smiling:
Smiling is very good for your health
You tend to think of a smile as a result of positive emotions or stimuli, but
it turns out that your smile can actually affect your stress levels and
productivity, too. Smiling also releases endorphins, which improves your mood,
helps you relax, and lowers your blood pressure. Endorphins are the same
chemicals you get from working out or running, resulting in what is known as a
runner’s high. Smile more to get that high without running. Smiling
is so contagious, the benefits of your smile extend beyond your own body to the
people you engage with.
Smiling may help you live longer
If smiling can contribute to less overall stress, and lower stress levels tend
to prolong lifespan, then smiling prolongs lifespan, isn’t it? Yes! It
turns out that the frown upside down makes up for lost time. Studies have
shown people who smile are viewed by others as more attractive, reliable,
relaxed, and even far more sincere. Seeing a smiling face activates the orbit
frontal cortex, the region of your brain that processes sensory rewards. This
in turn suggests that your brain feels rewarded when you see a smile.
Improves your heart health
The release of endorphins through smiling increases blood flow. Smiling has
been associated with an increased HDL (the good cholesterol) levels in the
body. Smiling also lowers the stress hormones (cortisol, adrenaline and
norepinephrine). Thus, smiling and laughing more can improve overall heart
health for sure!
Maintains your blood pressure
Neuropeptides are essentially required by the nerve cells for communication.
These neuropeptides are responsible for the release of the happy chemical
messengers (neurotransmitters) of the brain like dopamine, endorphins and
serotonin. Whenever you smile these neurotransmitters are released in the body
which not only relaxes the body but also helps manage your heart rate and blood
pressure.
Gives a boost to your immune system
Smiling and laughing initiates the release of serotonin in the body which
increases the sense of happiness and well-being in the body. Serotonin also
helps boost the immune system as it stimulates monocytes and lymphocytes (which
are types of white blood cells that fight against infections in the body) and
also regulates the release of cytokines (chemical messengers of the immune
system).
Smiling tends to improve your relationships
People find you more attractive when you smile. Studies show that
different areas of the brain light up when looking at pictures of people who
are smiling versus who are not smiling. People who are smiling to any degree
are generally labelled more attractive (and women are considered
more trustworthy) than those with neutral expressions.
Smiling improves effectiveness in the workplace
The benefits of smiling extend beyond interpersonal relationships to even the
work environment. Smiling at your co-workers creates moments of connection that
lead to greater productivity and teamwork. People in the service
industry prove to have a more positive effect on customers when they
smile. People in leadership positions tend to favour their employees who
smile more regularly.
Smiling boosts your activity
Not only can smiling make you feel happier and more positive, but it can also
help you become far more productive. Studies have shown that being happy has a
great effect on productivity in the workplace.
Smiling can cause us to be happy and experience happier emotions! This helps us
to become more productive as we can have a better mindset. Although, this can
also be said for the opposite, negative emotions can cause us to
become drained and less productive, so best to keep on smiling.
You will make a better leader
If you are in a position of power or want to be in one, smiling may be the key
to your success. Smiling is a more effective leadership technique than having
great management responsibilities. The next time you really want to show off
those leadership skills, just smile please. Kill them with success and
bury them with a smile!
Smiling more often makes you look younger
Smiling can also make you look younger than you are! On an average, the
research has shown that you normally can look about three years younger. When
you smile, it can naturally lift your face up and can fend off any frown lines
that you may get. As a result, this can help you look younger. A smile is an
inexpensive way to improve your looks for sure.
You will come across as more attractive
Smiles are so attractive for more reasons than one. A smile suggests that
you’re likeable, easy going, and empathetic. In fact, smiling actually
makes you more attractive to those you smile at.
You tend to be more approachable
Turn that frown upside-down if you want to make some friends please! Studies
have found that people are more willing to engage socially with
others who are smiling. A smile is indeed an inviting facial expression that
tells people you are willing to talk and interact with them.
Smiling will make you far more comfortable
Our natural tendency is to stick to things that are familiar, but smiling tends
to decrease this need. A study found that smiling can make you more
comfortable in situations you would otherwise feel very awkward in.
You tend to be more trustworthy
If you want to improve your credibility, simply smile more. What could be
easier than that? Trusting doesn’t come easily to many, but smiling at someone
may definitely help. A smile can mean more than a pleasant greeting. Learn how
to maximize your daily smiles to improve your health and relationships.
Practice makes one perfect
Practice makes one perfect—Children smile, on an average, 400 times a day,
whereas the happiest adults only smile 40-50 times a day.
Consider the hidden power of smiling, that smiling is like a superpower. But
unlike the power to fly or to become invisible, this one can be learned,
practiced diligently, and improved upon of course.
So do watch a funny movie or even a sitcom, play more with your kids, hang out
with happy people and practice calling to mind someone who really lights you up
when you are posing for a picture. The smile on your face could literally make
you happier, healthier, more effective, way more attractive, and you will live
a longer life. Doesn’t the thought of that make you smile?