Smiling and laughing can have a positive effect on your well-being, but as you make the transition from child to adult, we often tend to lose the habit of indulging in this positively beneficial behaviour. Adults can benefit from taking a lead from children and making more room in life for smiling and laughter.
Research has shown that there a number of health benefits contributed to smiling and laughing.
In addition to improved health, these simple facial expressions and common human behaviours can have a distinctive positive effect on other factors all areas of your life.
When you smile and laugh, a number of physiological changes occur in your body, mostly without you being consciously aware of it happening.
1.Neurotransmitters called Endorphins are released when you smile.
These are triggered by the movements of the muscles in your face, which is interpreted by your brain, which in turn releases these chemicals.
Endorphins are responsible for making us feel happy, and they also help lower stress levels.
Faking a smile or laugh works as well as the real thing—the brain doesn’t differentiate between real or fake as it interprets the positioning of the facial muscles in the same way.
This is known as the facial feedback hypothesis. The more we stimulate our brain to release this chemical the more often we feel happier and relaxed.
2. Endorphins make us feel happier and less stressed.
Endorphins act as the body’s natural pain killers.
For sufferers of chronic pain, laughing and smiling can be very effective in pain management, as can laughing off the pain when you bump an elbow or fall over.
3. While the release of Endorphins is increased, the stress hormone Cortisol is reduced.
Cortisol is more active when we feel stressed or anxious and contributes to the unpleasant feelings we experience.
4.Laughing expands the lungs, stretches the muscles in the body and stimulates homeostasis.
This exercises the body, replenishing the cells from a lungful of oxygen and gaining all the benefits of exercising the body. (BRILLIANT – and all you had to do was laugh!!!!)
5. A good laugh can be an effective way to release emotions.
A good laugh can help you release emotions, especially those emotions that you might bottle up inside.
Everything looks that little bit better after a good laugh and life can be seen from a more positive perspective.
Smiling and laughing have positive social implications as well.
. Smiling is an attractive expression, which is more likely to draw people to you rather than push them away.
Smiling makes you appear more approachable.
(YES – spot on!!) Interaction with others is easier and more enjoyable when smiles and laughs are shared.
These behaviors are contagious, making others feel better too, and make you a more appealing and attractive person to be around.
This in turn will have a positive effect on your well-being.
7. A happy, positive expression will serve you well in life.
I cannot think of is situation where this is not the case - so give it a go............. what have you got to lose!
For more information on how you can De-Stress and be HAPPY check out our website.
Follow us on Facebook