The power of a smile

The smile is the most recognizable signal in the world, the mystery and the enigma behind one of the world's most famous paintings - the Mona Lisa, and the subject and term of beauty that poets, philosophers, and sages of all eras have celebrated since time immemorial

Ancient medical sciences such ayurveda and chinese medicine have long understood the relationship that the mind and the body share - mind and body are not independent of each other, they are interdependent. Mind and body are inextricably linked and deeply influence one another. Complete awareness of the body, mind, and a third element - spirit and their interconnectedness are considered absolutely necessary in dealing with disease.

Modern science has also uncovered much about the relationship between the physical body and our emotions or the way we feel. And some interesting discoveries have begun to emerge about the power of the smile and it's ability to change the way we and others feel, and it's effectiveness at positively enhancing our physical well-being

What is a smile? More than just an upward curving of the corners of the mouth it seems. Smiling is a way of expressing the inner joy in your heart. Everyone smiles when they feel happy. Then, what about smiling for no reason? Would that seem awkward or unnatural? Let us reverse our thinking for a moment. Instead of smiling because we are happy, it is actually possible to become happy by smiling. Smile to create happiness. Research shows that merely raising the ends of the lips in a mock smile will provoke a positive biological response in the body. On the other hand, during the course of a prolonged tragic role, an actor is more likely to sink into real depression.

Psychologist Paul Ekman has studied the smile in depth and has found out something very important about it. Smiling it seems, is accompanied by increased activity in the left prefrontal cortex which is known to be the seat of positive emotions. The most fascinating thing Ekman found is:  If you put on a smile, you can activate your pleasure centers, You can literally make yourself happy by smiling.

Smiling and laughing are two of several stimuli, including aerobic exercise and meditation, which make our brains produce endorphins. Endorphins are substances that are important for pain control, and can give us a sense of pleasure, peace and well-being. As BUPA psychiatrist, Dr Sally Cubbin, says 'Smiling has a positive and beneficial effect, not only on the person who is smiling but also on others around. It's hard not to respond positively to someone who is smiling.'Even when you don't feel especially happy, just by smiling you can make part of the "happy zone" in the brain's left hemisphere surge with electrical activity. "Voluntarily producing smiles moves brain activity in the direction of spontaneous happiness," says Richard Davidson, Ph.D., professor of psychology and psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.

In a study of facial expressions and personality, UC Berkeley Psychology Professor Dacher Keltner has found that women who smile broadly in their yearbook photographs had fewer psychological and physical problems, related better with others and generally were more satisfied with their lives 30 years later.

These findings would come as no surprise to philosopher Sri Chinmoy who has dedicated his life to the upliftment of the human spirit and who has long been an advocate of the smile as a means of facilitating inner growth and happiness for the individual. Sri Chinmoy's  vast body of literary works are punctuated with the word 'smile' .  In plain language he tells us:

MY TASKS

So if you want a guaranteed easy way to improve your mood and your health, practice smiling everyday and see your face change. Watch as your health changes for the better. Even your luck will turn around. No longer be stingy with your smiles. Smile even if you are alone, an inner smile is always there because joy and happiness are your natural states of being.

Someone once said: "The world is a looking glass and gives back to every man the reflection of his own face." If this is true wouldn't you want to see a smiling world wherever you went?

Smile!

Kate Carvalho

Sri Chinmoy Centre, New Zealand