SMILE!

“Smile though your heart is aching. Smile even though it’s breaking.”

This phrase was from a very popular song from the 50’s by Croner Nat King Cole. In that very song he also advises “light up your face with gladness…hide every trace of sadness”. Did you know that the very act of smiling will elevate your mood and replace sadness with joy? It’s that simple to make yourself a little bit happier in the moment. When your smiling muscles are activated, it releases neurotransmitters that is responsible for the emotion of joy.

People smile when they are happy, and, as it turns out, people are also happy when they smile.  It’s a simple act accessible to each and every single one of us.  Pause for a moment and take a guess at how many times you have smiled today. According to behavioural observations, a happy adult typically only manages forty to fifty grins. Some adults only get in twenty or so a day.

Are smile contagious? YES!, but why? Our ability to mimic a smile greatly influences our ability to determine if others’ smiles are genuine. Without the ability to mimic, it is difficult to connect through smiling. Our minds evaluate whether the situation calls for a smile, and we subconsciously mimic the person’s smile, testing it out.

When we smile, what is going on in the brain? Neuronal signals travel from the cortex to the brain stem and on down into the smiling muscles in the face. When these muscles engage, they send feedback to the brain, saying, “Hey, we’re happy!” 

Find ways to incorporate reasons to smile more in your life. Find out what it takes to make you smile and increase the amount of love you give the world!

“Real happiness lies within you.” -Sathya Sai Baba

Kartiga Devi,                                                                                                                                              Admin Intern.