On laughing and smiling
On laughing and smiling
Laughing and smiling is one of the nicest blessings we have in this Tour-De-Life. It is a fantastic antidote to misery, suffering, pain, sadness and the like. Nothing like finding momentary refuge in laughing and smiling.
It is very important to be aware, that our laughing and smiling, does not hurt other people and is not at the expense of others.
What actually happens in our brain when we smile? This mood enhancing cocktail of hormones is released in our brain, mainly a hormone called endorphin. This magical cocktail works very much like a natural tranquilizer or a pain killer. So, when we smile, we become more tranquil, calm, relaxed. This is why we like to smile.
As we shift from say a neutral expression into a smile, this is when we get a shot of these hormones, a peak. If we hold the smile for a longer period the tranquilizing effect is decreased. It is the transition into a smile that counts.
There are a lot of different types of smiles some positive and some negative. Examples of negative smiles: sarcastic smile, sadistic smile, exaggerated fake smiles. There are also different positive smiles like a grin, a mild smile, a social smile and full smiles.
From all the smiles in the world, there is one smile that makes us feel very relaxed. Let’s call it a Full Friendly Smile. What actions should be taken with our face muscles, to produce a Full Friendly Smile?
It is a combination of 3 actions with our facial muscles. 1. Sides of the mouth go upwards. 2. We expose our upper set of teeth 3. Sides of our eyes get a bit narrower and the lines at the side of the eyes, crow’s feet, become more visible, accentuated.
It is not only when we smile that we become more tranquil, it is also when we interact with other people that smile to us, that endorphin is again released in our brain. This is why we like to be in the company of smiling people.