Tweet

The Science of Smiling

Guest post by: H. Bernard Wechsler

Article Overview: You have to choose to use an Echt-Smile as your facial expression. It lowers your blood pressure, improves your breathing, and protects your Nervous and Immune Systems. Read to live longer and healthier.

The Science of Smiling

What's The Science of Smiling? We constantly update the latest research on brain processing - and what

it tells us about the simple - stupid, act of smiling is worth your time.

Fact: you cannot think negative thoughts with a Echt (real) smile on your

puss. Credit UCLA researchers with experiments proving the power of

actively changing the muscles used on your facial expression.

There are two-kinds of smiling - you gotta know the difference.

1. Pan-Am phony smile is just using the muscles of your mouth.

It was invented by an old airline (Pan-Am) for their Flight-

Attendants. 76-95% of the rest of us use the Pan-Am smile.

2. Echt (real, genuine, authentic) Smile. It requires the use of

the muscles of your face in two-area, mouth-and-eyes.

The lateral muscles at the side of each eye is triggered by a

legitimate smile.

Secret Revealed

If you choose to purposefully keep a Echt-Smile as your constant facial expression,

when you are NOT speaking, just inhaling and exhaling - here's what happens:

You produce 10% more oxygen and glucose entering your bloodstream. So what?

You are energized for improved learning and memory, and improve grades and

test scores. Yes, really, up to 26%.

Did you know that our three-pound coconut requires 24% of the entire oxygen

your body inhales? When you exercise your brain by learning and using long-term

memory, your brain requires an additional 10% - a total of up to 34% of your oxygen supply.

To the scholars: Google the January, 2009 issue of the Journal of Personality &

Social Psychology on Facial Expressions. "Smiling helps pump blood to your..."

Breathing

When you have a passive (uninvolved) facial expression, you slow down brain

processing of sensory information. Learning is tougher. Intentionally (gently)

move the muscles of your mouth (wider), and sort of squint your eyes simultaneously. That's your Echt-Smile in action.

Keep that expression all-day and you breathe more deeply on autopilot.

Each inhale and exhale you trigger Diaphragmatic breathing, and not

just Pectoral (chest) breathing. So? Deep, diaphragmatic breather brings more

oxygen to the lower half of your body, while Chest inhaling (96% of us) only

helps the upper half.

Aha! Smiling exercises both the Pectoral muscles and the diaphragm for totally oxygenating your body and mind. Stay with me - you don't have to consciously

operate your breathing - it is on autopilot when you activate Echt-Smiling.

Neuroscience

"Feedback from your face affects your emotional expression, MOOD, and behaviors." D.A. Bernstein, Psychology. When you playfully make an Angry

expression, it affects your internal sense of well-being by exciting your Amygdala, the emotional operating structure of your brain.

What about the opposite, making a funny face? It activates your pleasure centers.

But when you keep an Echt-Smile some-of-the-time - start with typing on your word-processor, and surfing the Net - you are helping your Nervous and Immune Systems improve their level of effectiveness.

How about Chronic Stress

We are not making up this research - it uses fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance

Imagery) and shows that a long-term Echt-Smile reduces distress, anxiety, and panic attacks. Stress turn your mood negative, and reduces your ability to learn

and remember up to 45%. Yeah, that much.

How about blood pressure, heart rate, and respiration? Echt-Smiling (your mouth and lateral eye muscles) significantly optimizes your key body functions. How about lowering blood pressure 10-18%?

Endorphins

Your body produces painkillers without side-effects like medicinal drugs.

Echt-Smiling activates Endorphins (Opioids), the name comes from Greek,

Endogenous (internal), plus Morphine - Endo+phin.

But wait! there is more. Smiling triggers Serotonin, a neurotransmitter that

controls and reduces Fear-And-Worry.

In case you have a need to know, Endorphins are produced by your Pituitary gland and Hypothalamus and are Analgesics (pain killers). They operate in your Central

Nervous System and Gastrointestinal Tract.

Endwords

Your best friend is your Echt-Smile, and it is your choice (volition) whether you

active it most of the day or no. I like the word - Active. It comes from Latin, meaning, to do; something done. You must decide to activate your Echt-Smile.

The enemy (Negative word) is Passive - which comes Latin meaning submissive; to undergo.

In-between Active and Passive is Boring - which is the dullness that takes the life from your day. Consider the new tool you have for health and longevity.

Would you be better off having a competitive edge in school and career? What if you can read-and-remember three (3) books, articles and reports, in the time your

peers can hardly finish one? More promotions? Ask us how.

Speed Reading is your killer tool for success.

See ya,

copyright © 2009 H. Bernard Wechsler

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Related Articles
  How to start your day the right way
  Marketing - Art or Science?
  Smile - Love Being You
  In Boston, A Smile Will Get You Some Really Cool Artwork: The Smile Project
  Smile and the Whole World Smiles with You, Cry and You Cry Alone

Article Tags: amp, bloodstream, brain, coconut, facial expression, facial expressions, glucose, google, journal of personality, learning and memory, muscles, negative thoughts, oxygen supply, pan am, smile, social psychology, squint your eyes, test scores, two kinds, ucla researchers



Related Forum Posts
Re: My own page - [quote="OmnivoreInk":2xk5rdol]I also have Google as my home page, because I've got about 8 different Newsfeeds on it, from Science and Discovery to BBC news (which for some reason never talks about news in England except sports, and while I like sports - I don't care for soccer which is all they ever talk about!)[/quote:2xk5rdol] I use iGoogle with a few different news feeds on it as well, including EvanCarmichael.com feed and Sitepoint.
Introduction - Hi Fellow Entrepreneurs, My name is Rita Cartwright, owner of RJ's Word Processing Services. I am a Professional Administrative Expert offering virtual assistant services. I have been in business for 7 years and specialize in Internet marketing and word processing services. I also offer bookkeeping, transcription services, website design and maintenance, and general administrative assistance. I'm originally from Phoenix and graduated from Arizona State University with Magna Cum Laude honors. My degree is a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing with a minor in Spanish. I look forward to networking with each of you.
My own page - [quote="JWDesignCenter":kjuv6z19]Mine is google. I used to have my own page on it.. but i felt it was messing up my stats. This way if i need to search for something, i can right when my internet opens.[/quote:kjuv6z19] I also have Google as my home page, because I've got about 8 different Newsfeeds on it, from Science and Discovery to BBC news (which for some reason never talks about news in England except sports, and while I like sports - I don't care for soccer which is all they ever talk about!) But I take the science related headlines and report them on my own science blog..so I find the google news pages invaluable.
Intro in doses - I think that has more to do with parental guidance rather than enforcing what they would like their child to be when he/she grows up. Parents need to take on a role as a Guidance Counselor would in High school these days - that includes introducing their children to new environments so that they are exposed to an environment they enjoy without enforcing it. e.g. Instead of a parent saying you should become a doctor! They could introduce the environment through "chemistry sets", the Science Center etc. etc. If the child automatically enjoys these environments and doesn't resist it then continue introducing the environment in greater doses. If they resist then continue exploring other environments. The caveat is that with today's lifestyles some parents can't commit to doing this.
Promoting Software On A Shoestring Budget - Once again, great comments enlivener! Boomer - my first company, Redasoft, was a biotech software company. We started with nothing and built it up to have clients in over 30 countries including NASA, Johnson & Johnson, etc so it is possible! SEO is a great option for you as it's cheap and can bring highly targeted people to your site. You should also look at print media. We've found that it works much better than tv or radio. We had the major scientific journals like Science review our software and it led to a lot of sales and traffic because our clients read those publications. If you sell one reporter on the idea of doing a review, they'll do the work of selling to 1000's of potential clients for you so it's a great ROI (as long as your product works!)


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Are You Listening?

TOP Level Selling

Igniting Your Unstoppable Business Destiny

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.