How Are You Healing Today? * Smile*

With a Smile!

Smiles are nourishment for the soul, mind and body! To smile is to communicate, to connect, to create energy both outwardly and within. Let us explore some of the many benefits of your wonderful smile😊

Smiling – We are Born with It! Believe it or not, smiling it is not a learned behaviour. We are actually born smiling. Researchers using 3D ultrasound technology, have been able to identify that developing babies smile in the womb, “Once a baby is born, they continue to smile. This is true of all babies regardless of culture and environment, as smiling is a basic and biological uniform human expression.”- Fumito Kawakami and Takumi Yanaihara, lead authors in the research study “Smiles in the Fetal Period”.

Smiling May Help You Live Longer. How? One school of thought is that smiling is linked with a feeling of optimism and studies indicate that optimism is associated with a lower risk of early death from dis-ease conditions and infection. According to a study in the peer-reviewed journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, “people who experience higher levels of optimism have a longer life span. The research included data from two large population studies that totaled 71,400 individuals and found that both optimistic men and women demonstrated exceptional longevity, i.e., surviving to 85 years old/” - David R. Topor, PhD, MS-HPEd.

Smiling May Help to Heal and Protect the Heart! Smiling may lower both heart rate and blood pressure by activating the parasympathetic nervous system, which is the body’s ‘rest and digest’ state. Researchers have observed that people who smile during stressful tasks experience faster heart‑rate recovery. Over time, this may help to improve and protect cardiovascular health. (reference: Tara L. Kraft and Sarah D. Pressman, “Grin and Bear It: The Influence of Manipulated Facial Expression on the Stress Response”)

Release the Endorphins! Endorphins are our body’s natural pain killers, and they are released when we genuinely smile and laugh. Sarah Pressman, a UCI professor in psychological science, conducted a study that looked at the effects of different emotions on pain and discomfort. “The pain associated with the injection of a needle was no greater than that experienced when you get a flu shot. The injection felt half as painful for those who smiled during it than those who did not smile. What does this mean? It is possible that there could be a correlation between your facial expression and pain. Next time you go in for a shot, smile and keep your face open. This might help.”– Sarah Pressman, PhD.

Smiling also signals the release of dopamine and serotonin. These neurotransmitters help us to feel a range of positive feelings, including happiness, satisfaction, pleasure, and overall well-being. By smiling more often, you train your brain to default to a positive state, building emotional resilience in the face of challenges.

How Do We Enjoy More Smiles in Our Day?

Create Smile Loops😀 Smiling is a social activity, a way to connect, a way to express oneself, and a way to communicate. When people see you smiling, something in them, more specifically, mirror neurons in their brains, may resonate, making them feel happier. Then they will likely smile back, and you will, in turn, feel a bit happier. It is a feedback loop that can both coax warmer feelings from each of you and then help maintain that more positive feeling, feelings of trust, approachability and even safety.

Want to Feel Lighter and Happier? Try The Buddhist Technique of The Half Smile😊

The technique of holding a half-smile has been shown to effectively increase happiness.

Here is how to do it:

• Gently relax your facial muscles

• Slightly turn up the corners of your mouth – this is a slight half smile, most people looking at you will not even notice

• Hold the half-smile for at least ten minutes, paying attention to how your body feels more relaxed, lighter, and happier

Have a healing and happy day!

References:

1.    Article: “How a Simple Smile Can Help Change Your Life”. Psychology Today. Author: Leslie Becker-Phelps Ph.D.  https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/making-change/202001/how-simple-smile-can-help-change-your-life

2.    Article: “Science Backed Health Benefits of Smiling”. Science Times. Author: David Thompson  https://www.sciencetimes.com/articles/35832/20220128/7-science-backed-health-benefits-of-smiling.htm

3.    Article : ”If You are Happy and You Know It You May Live Longer”. Harvard Health. Author: David R. Topor, PhD, MS-HPEd  https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/if-you-are-happy-and-you-know-it-you-may-live-longer-2019101618020

4.    Article: “Smiles in the fetal period”. Science Direct. Authors:  Fumito Kawakami, Takumi Yanaihara https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S016363831200046X  

5. Article: “Grin and Bear It: The Influence of Manipulated Facial Expression on the Stress Response”. Sage Journals. Authors: Tara L. Kraft and Sarah D. Pressman. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0956797612445312