Skip to main content

Smile Therapy

Feeling happy causes you to smile, but is the opposite also true? Apparently so. Smiling (even forced) can trick the brain into feeling happy! This is because a smile and the resulting contraction of the facial muscles have a neurobiological effect on the brain by triggering a chemical reaction that releases certain hormones like dopamine and serotonin, both of which are associated with mental health. A low level of either hormone can cause depression, and conversely releasing these hormones can reduce depression. Dopamine specifically increases the feeling of happiness, while serotonin reduces stress and anxiety.

While the effect of smiling on mental health is perhaps not that surprising, what is even more interesting is that a simple smile can also improve physical health in several ways: 
  1. Boosts the immune system
  2. Reduces blood pressure 
  3. Lowers heart rate
  4. Releases endorphins, which are natural pain relievers
And all this is simply from the physical act of smiling; the brain cannot distinguish between a real smile from happiness and a fake or forced smile! Another interesting tidbit I read was that botox actually helps with depression because it prevents the face from frowning! 😌

The power of smiling was known to ancient medical practitioners and spiritualists, especially the Taoists, who preached the practice of "inner smile." More recently, it was taught by the renowned Vietnamese Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh, who died recently in January 2022.

I also discovered there is a yoga called hasya yoga, which literally means "laughter yoga." It is an exercise in which you engage in voluntary prolonged laughter in a group setting. It is gaining popularity around the world with over 5000 laughter yoga centers globally.

Participants engaging in laughter therapy in India

So making a habit of smiling when you feel low (however forced it may feel) will perhaps make this quote (which I found during my search) come true:                                                         

"Life is like a mirror, smile at it and it smiles back at you." 😊


Sources:

https://www.nbcnews.com/better/health/smiling-can-trick-your-brain-happiness-boost-your-health-ncna822591
https://qz.com/824005/the-hard-science-that-backs-up-age-defying-laughter-yoga/

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Origin of the Word "Cancer"

In my previous post, I explored the history of cancer. Since we know it existed in ancient times, it follows that so did its name. In fact, the name "cancer" was coined by none other than the great Hippocrates (well, not the exact name but the root of the name). Hippocrates in fact, used two terms,  carcinoma and carcinos,  to describe ulcerous and non-ulcerous tumors respectively. He named the tumors after Carcinus (or Karkinos), a giant crab in Greek mythology that was sent by the Goddess Hera to help Hydra fight against Hercules. As to why Hippocrates chose to name the tumor after a crab is not quite clear but there are several theories:       -  The hardness of a malignant tumor reminded him of the hard shell of a crab.      - The pain induced by a malignant tumor is similar to a sharp pinch of a crab's claw.     -  The tenacity of cancer is similar to the determination with which a crab bites and grabs on to a person.  While all these theories seem plausible, the

Hippocrates: Father of Medicine

Another important person in Greek medicine is Hippocrates. Hippocrates is considered the father of modern medicine who continues to influence medicine more than 2000 years later. Although he is as revered as Asclepius, they have very different origins. While Asclepius is a mythological character, considered to be descended from God, Hippocrates is very much a historical figure, whose origin and life is recorded in history. Hippocrates lived from 460 to 375 BCE during the Classical Greece period and practiced medicine in Greece. His contribution to western medicine is rivaled by none other, and his collection of works covers almost every aspect of disease and medicine including infection, hygiene, epidemiology and the human immune system. Bust of Hippocrates Also, unlike Asclepius, Hippocrates practiced medicine as a science, not as divine magic. He was one of the first to separate religion from medicine, and sought to match treatment with symptoms.  His observations in the Corp

Meditrinalia: Festival of Health (AKA Wine!)

Happy Meditrinalia! Those who are legally allowed to, raise a glass of your favorite wine in cheer- the goddess of health is smiling upon you today! Meditrinalia is an ancient Roman festival that was celebrated on October 11 in honor of the goddess of medicine, Meditrina. According to legend, the festival marked the end of the vine harvest, and people of Latium began to taste their new wine on this day. Although it was first celebrated in honor of Jupiter, it soon gave rise to a new goddess of  healing/medicine, Meditrina, on whom the festival is now named.  The Romans made an offering of wine to the gods on this occasion while reciting   " vetus novum vinum bibo, novo veteri morbo medeor."   which translates to  ''Wine new and old I drink, of illness new and old I'm cured."  The new wine was thought to hold healing powers. Given that we now know wine is rich in antioxidants, and it can help reduce cholesterol and heart disease, the ancient Romans sure were o