Keep on smiling

Hello gorgeous people and welcome to my fortieth blog.

So, now that hugging and kissing, even air-kissing is socially and morally and ethically unacceptable, I have decided that the time has so definitely come, the time for us all to smile more, and to smile with intent.  Those smiles that reach right to our stunning eyes, that light up our magnificent faces, and make us look absolutely amazing. Especially now that we have masks attached to our faces 24/7. Who cares about Crow’s Feet anyway? Seriously.

I laugh, a lot, as most of you know, and my laugh is rather loud, and often people take a step back when they see my face, for fear of being swallowed by my laughter. True story. I think I smile a lot. I certainly smile at all my patients, and often more than once during their treatments. So, as my business has got busier, I am definitely smiling more and most of the time my patients smile back, which is quite heartening. Not necessarily, when I am causing them pain, but at the odd times when I am being gentler!

So, with these thoughts on smiles and smiling, I did what I always do. I started reading and researching about this whole business and found some quite interesting facts.

1. Apparently, the smile can be traced back to 30 million years ago, when monkeys and apes used their barely clenched teeth, a “fear grin” to tell predators that they were harmless or to signal submission to more dominant group members. Perhaps this is the reason, so few wives smile at their husbands! Only joking.
2. Most of the time a smile is seen as a positive emotion. However, there are some cultures that view it as a negative expression and consider it unwelcoming. Too much smiling can be viewed as a sign of shallowness and dishonesty. In some parts of Asia people smile when they are embarrassed or are in emotional pain. This reminds me of that saying, “smile and the world smiles with you. Cry and you cry alone.”.
3. In the former Soviet Union smiling at strangers in public is unusual and may be seen as suspicious behaviour. Now I understand why people steered clear of us in Russia while we walked along, having the best holiday, and smiling from ear to ear!!
4. There are 19 different types of smiles, according to a San Francisco researcher. There are two categories, polite social smiles which use fewer muscles, and sincere, well-felt smiles that use the muscles on both sides of your face. Can you believe that a smile can use from 5 to 53 facial muscles!! So, for those folk who have Botox, fewer muscles are used when smiling. How amazing is that!
5. Babies are born with the ability to smile, and so, contrary to popular belief, can start smiling at birth. I did not know this, did any of you?
6. Smiles are the most recognizable facial expressions and can be recognized from three hundred feet away.

 

But did you know how wonderful it is to smile and how beneficial it can be?

 

1. It costs nothing for us to smile, but it can create so much happiness.
2. Smiling may lower your blood pressure which is great for your heart health.
3. Studies have shown that people who smile are perceived as more likeable than those who do not. Being likeable makes it easier to build and maintain better relationships with people which is so important for your overall health and wellbeing.
4. Smiling can make someone happy, without taking anything away from you.
5. The fountain of youth may be right under your nose as studies have shown that smiling and positive emotions are associated with an increased life span. This is awesome!
6. It is so quick, but a smile can live in someone’s memory forever. As Mother Teresa said, “We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do.”
7. No one is so rich or so poor that they can live without a smile, but everyone can benefit from it.
8. Smiling creates happiness in the home.
9. A genuine smile may help you get promoted, as smiley people are often seen as confident, attractive, and sociable, and that may be the very thing to clinch that promotion.
10. Smiles do not create wrinkles. As you age those happy face grooves do not fade away but the real culprit for wrinkles is your skin’s decreasing elasticity.
11. Endorphins are released when you smile and these neurotransmitters or happy hormones will lift your mood, make you feel better, and alleviate your stress. This natural drug is so much cheaper than medication too. These endorphins are natural pain relievers too. So, you will feel good from head to toe! In short, when our brains feel happy, we smile when we smile our brain feels happy. This is called the positive feedback loop of happiness.
12. You are definitely better looking when you smile and we all like to feel more attractive, don’t we? A study has shown that seeing a smiling attractive face activates your orbitofrontal cortex, the region in the brain that processes sensory rewards. So, if you see someone smiling you actually feel rewarded. So, go get that mirror and smile at yourself. Perhaps in a quiet place since folk may think you have seriously lost It!!
13. Smiling makes you more creative since when you smile you boost your happiness and happiness is associated with greater problem-solving ability and higher levels of activity.
14. The one instruction required for you to smile is just to do it!!
15. Smiling helps you stay positive or may improve your mood. Try this. Smile now think of something negative without losing your smile. It is flipping difficult to do this, isn’t it? So. if you are feeling down, just try to smile and see what happens.
16. Smiling makes you look younger as some of the muscles used for smiling help lift our face.
17. Smiling makes you more productive, particularly in the workplace. It also makes you seem successful. A smile can make your team happy; they feel safe and valued and will do good work. You become more approachable, people will want to be around you and things will get done.
18. A proper smile from the heart that reaches your eyes and stretches to your ears, signifies an understanding, a connection, and an engagement with life. It shows your authenticity and genuineness.
19. Smiles are A study done in Sweden people were told to frown when they looked at subjects who were smiling. They could not do this and eventually most ended up smiling too. We used to say to our kids when they were little and they were cross or upset, do not smile, do not smile and they always ended up smiling. Another way to make them smile was to say, I am going to tickle you. Cute man!
20. Smiles can boost your immune system; A smile and positive thoughts may release signalling molecules in your brain that fight illness and stress. When you smile your body is more relaxed, which may contribute to good health and a strong immune system. Perhaps I was not smiling enough before I got Covid!
21. Happy, smiling people do not get sick as often as unhappy, frowny people.
22. It is so much easier for your muscle to smile than it is to frown. I love the quote from Jim Beggs “Before you put on a frown, make absolutely sure there are no smiles available.”
23. A smile cannot be bought, bagged, borrowed, or stolen for it is something that is no good to anyone until it is given away.

So, guys I think we need to do a little experiment. Let us all take 1 day and smile at everyone we cross paths with through the day, mask, and all. If they smile back, we know that our smile has reached our eyes. If not, it may not have, or perhaps they just do not want to smile back. I am pretty sure that there will be more than one person who smiles back and that will make you feel awesome, and I am sure they will too.

An unknown quote, that resonates with me, is “When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life that you have a thousand reasons to smile. “

 

It actually all goes back to trying to live your best life, loving yourself, being kind to yourself and nourishing every inch of your beautiful being. If a smile can enhance this, why not just do it. Paste a notelet on your mirror (together with your Choices and How to be Successful notelets) as a constant reminder and just smile at yourself and perhaps every now and again wave too!  Let me know and enjoy!

 

With thanks to Laughteronline university website, Mark Stibich in his article on verywellmind, benefitsbridge website, Wendy Whitehead on the psychreg website, Ding Li, The Science Behind a Smile for all that I have learnt from reading their awesome articles.

 

Tip number thirty nine.

Aiming for optimal health and wellness is not about winning or losing. It is about being the best, most contented and happy person that you can be just for you.