Hi friends
Thank you once again for visiting the blog and making it a success.   I am again here with a new article.  Please, please and please post your comments on the blog after reading.
This  article is on a subject that deeply touches us.

Smile

“Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.”

 - Mother Teresa 

           The robust and tiring personal and professional lives make us forget to smile.

          

           Smiling adds to your face value.  You look more attractive with a smile. People will be naturally drawn to you when you smile. The muscles we use to smile also lift the face, making a person appear younger.

       Scientists claim that smiling reduces stress level too. In a study published in the journal, “Psychological Science,” researchers Sarah Pressman and Tara Kraft wanted to test what a smile can do once it’s in place.

      Subjects were given two stressful tasks of one, tracing the outline of a star using the non-dominant hand while looking in a mirror and second, plunging a hand into a bowl of ice water for one minute.  They were divided into three groups that were supposed to perform these tasks in three different ways. First, without smiling, second with teeth held in a moderate grin and, the third with a broad smile. They were to hold a chopstick between their teeth while performing the task.  The chopstick was used to standardize the facial expression and give them a forced smile.

Then their stress levels were measured by measuring the heart rate and asking them how stressed they felt while performing the task.  All the subjects reported the same degree of stress. But, they differed in time their heart took to recover.  The heart rates of the subjects with no smile took the longest to recover. Subjects' heart rates in the broad-smiling group recovered the most quickly, and those with a moderate smile were in-between, still experiencing better heart rate recovery than those without a smile. Pressman and Kraft also cite past research that found similar areas of the brain appear to be activated, whether a smile is spontaneous and natural, or displayed intentionally, without those emotions.

          Of course, smiling is not a cure for every type of stress especially if long term stressors like hostile environment, demanding people to deal with or chronic diseases or ailments. But it does offer short-time relief from acute stressors as an antidote to passing negative moods.  Then there is a good chance that your mood will improve. The physical act of smiling activates neural messaging in your brain and can trick your body and elevate your mood.

             Smiling is contagious and can help you through a difficult situation and lighten up a whole room. It can activate the unconscious smiling in people around you.

Mother Teresa said, “Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.”

            When we smile, some neurotransmitters are released, and we feel more relaxed. As a result we feel good. Smiling improves our immune system too.  Studies have proved that smiling also lowers blood pressure.  Smiling improves our overall health.

People who smile more appear more confident and approachable. Try smiling at a formal meeting, and you might get different reactions from people.

           Do a test along with me. Smile now for a few seconds.  While smiling, try to think of something negative but consciously don’t lose the smile. It's hard, isn't it? This so because when we are smiling a message is sent to the brain and the rest of the body that life is good. Smiling does help us to feel positive.

            Keep smiling.