A smile has the potential to change any situation. Have you ever had a morning wrought with worries or stressful thoughts, which lead to a sour mood,which leads to obstacles that seem to turn your whole day into a train wreck?
And then… someone graces you with a smile and everything about your day changes. In fact, you find yourself spontaneously smiling back and suddenly the drama diminishes.
Could it be that smiles are contagious? Magical?
In fact, they are. Smiles are contagious, magical, and transformative. Here are some fun facts about smiles:
1. The “feel good” neurotransmitters such as dopamine, endorphins, and serotonin are all released when you smile. This relaxes your body…which lowers your heart rate and blood pressure. You become more receptive thanks to your body’s own chemistry.
2. When you smile at someone, it activates their orbitofrontal cortex, which is the region of the brain that processes sensory rewards. This is why we naturally appreciate a genuine smile.
3. Smiling is magnetic. People are more attracted to a smiling face than a neutral or frowning face. We are designed to smile with ease… and it shows. A frown takes effort—and many more facial muscles to execute. It also takes a conscious effort not to smile back when someone offers you a smile; and so smiles put us in direct relation with one another and confirm our innate interconnectedness.
Now take all of that information and apply it to smiling with your own inner-being. Yes!
Let’s meditate.