"Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy." - Thich Nhat Hanh
One of the surprising indicators of good health is how much and how often you smile. Sound too simple? Research is proving the many positive effects from smiling. The research reveals that smiling is contagious. Good hormones (endorphins) are triggered by the movement of smiling muscles in your face, which are interpreted by the brain to release these healthy chemicals. Smiling stimulates our brain's reward mechanisms. The science on these "smiling neuropeptides" is available to read and learn more about.
Smiling activates neural messaging from the brain that benefits health and happiness. Research has shown that the facial expression of a smile can have a distinctive effect on all aspects of your life. Research has also found a difference between a genuine smile and a “Say Cheese” smile. The genuine smile even has a name - the "Duchenne smile" named after the French physician who studied the physiology of facial expressions in the nineteenth century.
Scientists have discovered that these two types of smiles are controlled by two different parts of our brain. The Duchenne smile involves both voluntary and involuntary contraction from two facial muscles. The "social smile" involves the contraction of just one muscle in the face. Few things in life are as beautiful as a genuine smile and most folks can recognize when the smile is forced.
The late Leo Buscaglia PhD, known as "Dr. Love" on the campus of the University of Southern California where he taught classes on the value of love in our lives, said this, "Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, and honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the power to turn a life around." The title of his first of fourteen books is “LOVE”. Mother Theresa once said, "Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love. We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do."
Recently, I was asked to give a talk to a Taking Off Pounds Sensibly/Keeping Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS/KOPS) conference. There were many smiling faces in the audience as they were loving their success in managing their weight and supporting each other in this goal. There is not much to smile about in the news that children born today will be the first generation not to outlive their parents, or that Louisiana now leads the country in the largest percentage (36%) of adults who are obese. We can change this direction and get on a path to better health and happiness. This is worth smiling about. Smiling reduces stress that your body and mind feel, similar to getting good sleep. According to recent studies, smiling helps to generate more positive emotions within you.
With a smile of determination, we can overcome many of the challenges of today. With discipline and courage, we can face our problems and make lemonade of life’s lemons. Perhaps the quote by Maria Robinson gives us the attitude we must embrace, "Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending." Decisions to break bad habits, to drink more water, nurture your body with fruits and vegetables, be more optimistic, exercise regularly and genuinely smile often is a good place to start. Keep smiling!
Originally published in POV Magazine June 2017