SMILING GENERATES POSITIVE THOUGHTS, TRY IT MORE OFTEN

The other day, when I was telling one of my colleagues about benefitting from laughing exercises, he said, “I can’t believe that. Smiles should be spontaneous. A mechanical smile can’t be of any help.” At that point, I asked him to put on a long face and to knit his brows just mechanically for five minutes with an assurance that I would eat my words if he passed the test.

The countdown began on the stopwatch on his mobile phone. He gave up within three minutes, saying he felt unwell! Indeed, this very opposite exercise clearly proves that smiles can do a world of good even if we try it artificially.

But what was the real reason for his failure? Researchers have concluded that frowning while looking at someone smiling would be difficult. They have also given a long list of the benefits of smiling. It strengthens the immune system, boosts energy, and protects one from the damaging effects of stress. A good hearty laugh can relax our muscles for as long as 45 minutes. It protects the heart and triggers the release of the body’s natural feel-good chemical endorphins that can even temporarily relieve pain.

The more we smile the more effectively we can break the brain’s tendency to think negatively. As a matter of fact, their research has proved the axiom that laughter is the best medicine. A smile is a curved line that can indeed set many situations straight.