Smile

Sadly, most of us live a fast paced life where the demands, expectations, and delusions of the modern world can leave us stressed, miserable and confused. Even something so innocent as a smile can be measured and analysed until its value and benefit can be drained dry. We wear the dried husk of these scientific smiles like an I.D badge and gradually lose sight of a real smile.

We are told how false smiles hide our intentions or feelings, nervous smiles hide fear or embarressment. Fake smiles are used to show derision and distain, the list goes on and yet our inner connection with smiles and smiling begins almost from birth. Although babies may smile in the womb, most babies smile within 2 months of birth, an instinctive behaviour rather than learnt as blind babies do smile. We can recognize a smile from 100 yards and seeing one can make biological changes, smiling is truly contagious.

This competitive world can make smiling seem dangerous as some may consider it threatening or concealing some hidden motive especially from someone not known to smile a lot. Asking someone why they are smiling can seem challenging and arguementative, many feel a smile suggest that we are the butt of some hidden joke. For those that pursue smiling as a facial "neutral gear" or status quo, for those who smile readily, the serenity of an innocent smile hides no secrets.

Rarely mentioned in fitness journals, it also has great physcological and phyical benefits, the action whether natural or contrived releases endorphins, the happy drug released by chocolate. It relaxes us and lowers stress and tension, which helps stabilize our blood pressure and heart rate, which contributes to good health and a stronger immune system. It also stimulates our memory centers and improves cognitive function, we can smile ourselves smarter.

The power of the smile are available with natural smiles, fakes created by just moving facial muscles, or those smiles made when we think of a happier moment. The power is greatest when our smile is true and innocent but there is definitely no harm in seeking the benefits with the less natural kind. Smiling during meditation and prayer can heighten the experience and give a deeper understanding and connection with the universe.

A happy demeanour is the cheapest way to "pay it forward", a smiling "Good Morning" can have a domino effect of spreading joy which loves to return to the maker, an innocent smile is truly a direct line to the soul.