{"id":881,"date":"2009-05-20T10:13:26","date_gmt":"2009-05-20T18:13:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/backwards-smiling\/"},"modified":"2013-08-20T09:59:37","modified_gmt":"2013-08-20T17:59:37","slug":"backwards-smiling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/backwards-smiling\/","title":{"rendered":"Backwards Smiling: The Physiology of Happy"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

<\/p>\n

Image courtesy of Rumpers<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Everyone smiles.\u00a0 From industrialized nations to remote tribes, studies have shown that smiling is universal.\u00a0 Even more stunning is that people from all over the world smile the same way.\u00a0 Even blind children begin to smile without seeing others smile.\u00a0 It\u2019s ingrained in the very code that makes us human.<\/p>\n

Although smiling comes in many forms, most are actually fake.\u00a0 In fact, there is only one smile that is genuine. When the corners of the mouth go up, the eyes narrow slightly creating crow\u2019s feet, and the upper half of the cheeks rise, you are experiencing the Duchenne Smile, named by Paul Ekman, an emeritus professor of psychology at the University of California at San Francisco after Guillaume-Benjamin Duchenne, the French physiologist who first studied the muscle that surrounds the eye in 1862.<\/p>\n

The Duchenne smile is the one true smile that is a direct result of feeling happy.\u00a0 But, how do we FEEL happy?\u00a0 When we receive or give a gift, or see our children smile and laugh, physiological changes take place.\u00a0 Our hearts beat faster and the flow of blood increases. Skin temperature rises, which makes the skin slightly damper and our fingers tremble.\u00a0 The experience of a compliment or gift is a trigger.\u00a0 The trigger sets off changes in the body, which signal the brain to feel happy.<\/p>\n

Although this may sound odd at first, try forcing yourself to feeling happy when your muscles are tense, your face is frowned and your brow furrowed.\u00a0 The involuntary emotions cause our body reaction to signal our brain, which means that happiness arises as much from our body as it does from our thoughts.<\/p>\n

The emotions associated with feeling happy are involuntarily controlled by our automatic nervous system.\u00a0 This is why we cannot simply decide to be happy by influencing involuntary body function.\u00a0 It is impossible for us to command our blood to flow faster.\u00a0 We do, however, have the ability to bypass the automatic nervous system.\u00a0 We have the ability to smile, even without a trigger.<\/p>\n

Ekman\u2019s work corroborated that if feelings can come from the body, then happiness can come from a genuine Duchenne smile.\u00a0 Ekman trained his subjects to control the movement of the muscles that surround the eye to achieve the Duchenne smile.\u00a0 The result was a signal of happiness without a trigger sent to the brain thereby proving that happiness doesn\u2019t flow in just one direction, and smiling alone can make us happy.<\/p>\n

I suggest that we take the work of Ekman to the next level.\u00a0 If the bodily movement of smiling can make our brains experience feelings of happiness, then why not use the smile as a trigger for others.\u00a0 What you put out into the world comes back to you.\u00a0 The next time you are introduced to someone, just give your first name and watch what happens.\u00a0 More likely than not, they will return the introduction with their first name.\u00a0 Offer your first and last name, and you will receive the same.\u00a0 Try it with a smile.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure you will find a smile in return.\u00a0 This effect can influence your happiness and the feelings of everyone you come into contact with throughout your day.\u00a0 By smiling more and passing it along, you truly put the Duchenne smile effect into action.<\/p>\n

Tommy Galan is a guest blogger for PickTheBrain<\/a>. He is the author of HappyUniverse.com<\/a>, a blog dedicated to designing happy lives through exciting goals and healthy lifestyle.\u00a0 A few of his many adventures include performing on Broadway, earning a Juris Doctorate, finishing marathons, and traveling the world.\u00a0 He lives in New York City with his wife and son. <\/em><\/p>\n

Related Articles:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Finding Bliss: How to Reverse Engineer Happiness <\/a><\/p>\n

The 6 Components of a Happy Life <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Image courtesy of Rumpers. Everyone smiles.\u00a0 From industrialized nations to remote tribes, studies have shown that smiling is universal.\u00a0 Even more stunning is that people from all over the world smile the same way.\u00a0 Even blind children begin to smile … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12163,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[33,32,5,21],"tags":[3143,3144,1946,3145,3008,564],"yoast_head":"\nBackwards Smiling: The Physiology of Happy - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Although smiling comes in many forms, most are actually fake. In fact, there is only one smile that is genuine. 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