Smile is a universal language that equally understands Western culture as well as cannibalistic tribes from the farthest and most unfamiliar regions of the world. The mere act of laughter improves our mood, strengthens immunity and relieves us of stress - and these are just some super powers behind the smile, the universal sign of happiness, friendship, and good intentions.
We laughed even before we were born
Although babies learn most of their surroundings and people around, laughter is not one of them. Babies are born with the ability to smile! Even the babies that are born blind smiles when they hear the human voice. But that's not all, the new 3D ultrasonic technology clearly shows that some babies occasionally make a smile on their face even before they are born. Professor Stuart Campbell, one of the first scientists who discovered that babies change their facial expressions in the womb said: "What lies behind a smile (in the womb) of course I can not say ... But I think this must be some indication of pleasure In the environment freed from stress. "
Everybody laughs
Smile is one of the basic, biologically unique expressions of all people in the world. Paul Ekman (leading world expert for facial expressions) has found that the smile in all cultures in the world has a unique meaning. In a study he has conducted in Papua New Guinea, Ekman found that members of the Fore tribe (who were completely excluded from Western culture and who were also known for their unusual cannibalistic rituals) may laugh to the same situations that would laugh any other man on the planet. Charles Darwin claimed the same time that most world scientists considered that the smile was not a universal phenomenon. There is little known fact that Darwin just spent one of the first studies on how people recognize face emotions. In 1872 Darwin published his research on expressing the emotions of humans and animals, in which he argued that all humans and even animals show emotions through incredibly similar patterns of behavior. For Darwin, the smile as one of the universal emotions, had an evolutionary significance that could be historically followed in all cultures and regions of the world. Today, many psychologists agree that certain emotions are universal for all people, regardless of culture: anger, fear, surprise, disgust, happiness, and sadness.
Smile is the most common form of communication
Smile is the most recognizable face expression in the world. It's so easy to recognize that it's possible to recognize it from a distance of about 100 feet! But this emotion is not only the most recognizable, it is also the most common. More than 30% of adults laugh more than 20 times a day, and less than 14% laughed less than five times a day. Children smile up to 400 times a day! Have you ever wondered why you (mostly) laughed in the presence of children? The answer is simple: Laughter is contagious, and scientists in Sweden have confirmed this in a study conducted at Uppsala University where they concluded that subjects simply do not have control of their muscles in the face when someone close to them laughs.
Smile, success and length of life
The UC Berkeley University study which lasted for 30 years, and which researched the student's smile at school photographs showed stunning results. Researchers could correctly predict how long and lengthy marriages of students will be met, what results will be on standardized welfare and general happiness tests, and how students will act on other people. Students who had the greatest smile in the photo had the best results and met all expectations, while those who did not laugh had the worst results, the least luck in marriage and generally less success in life. But this study is not the only one that has revealed the secret power of the smile. The 2010 research project, conducted at Wayne State University, studied the photos of baseball players from 1952. The study has shown that the range (width) of the smile of the player can predict their length of life! Players who did not have a smile on their face had an average of 72.9 years, while the players with clear and wide smiles lived on an average of 79.9 years.
How much smile is worth?
In a UK study (using an electromagnetic instrument scanning the brain and heart, showing a level of satisfaction) British scientists have found that a smile can provide the same level of brain stimulation as 2,000 chocolates or receive up to 16.000 pounds (around 20,000 € ) In cash! But the amount of pleasure depends on who smiles you: children's or celebrities have much better effect than politicians or members of the royal family. While the baby's smile is equal to 2.000 chocolates or 16,000 pounds, the smile of the beloved person is about 600 chocolates or 8,500 pounds. The smile of a friend is worth about 145 pounds, or about 200 chocolates. Subsequent research has shown that there is a great chance that a smile will create a short-term pleasure that is stronger than sexual pleasure, shopping, chocolate, cigarettes, coffee ... Clinical tests were analyzed by psychologist Dr. David Lewis, who said:
"Powerful emotions activate when someone we consider to be important in a living smile smiles and we smile again. In our brain this changes the chemistry. It creates what is called the "halo effect" that helps us remember other happy events and feel more optimistic, more positive and more motivated. "
Finally Dr. Lewis added "Unlike (the smile that we get from loved ones) we have found that the fake smile of politicians has the opposite effect that creates an unreliable and hypocritical picture of the laughing in the observer."
Laughing is healthy
Laughter is the strongest stress-relief drug, and laughing 100 times a day is equally as effective as a 15-minute ride on a bicycle. In addition to improving mood, which automatically reduces the level of stress, laughter helps your body to fight infections, reduce pain and strengthen the immune system. Researchers today know that we produce larger amounts of adrenaline and cortisol when we are under stress. This condition increases the heart rate and affects the flow of blood to ensure that vital organs responsible for 'broth or escape' (legs, hands ...) get more blood than digestive organs. According to numerous studies, the smile has a "soothing effect" on our body and helps us to get back from the state of alertness for fight, which causes stress to normal condition, and normal function of all organs in the body.
Endorphins (a natural pain killer) have this wonderful opportunity to give us a sense of happiness, and when we laugh, they are released into our brains. So even if you're not happy when you start laughing, you're pretty sure you'll be happier and you'll feel better after just a few moments.
And a few more facts about the smile ...
- Research shows that your smile will significantly increase your chances of getting hired, or getting you upgraded at work. Smile makes us more attractive, social and self-confident.
- Generally, women are laughing more than men, but when they take part in similar business or social situations, men and women are equally allowed.
- The researchers identified 19 types of smiles and placed them in two categories: kind "social" smiles and sincere smiles that use significantly more muscle on both sides of the face.
- The research carried out by Orbit Complete revealed that 69% of men think women are more attractive when they laugh then when they have makeup.
- Laughs uses 5 to 53 facial muscles, and scientists have found that our body is much easier to laugh than frown.
- Psychologists have found that even if you are in a bad mood, you can immediately raise your mood by forcing yourself into a smile.
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