Smile like you Mean it!
We all know how good it is for the body and our health to smile, I mean really smile and some people say if you don’t feel like smiling then force yourself to so that sooner or later it will turn into a real smile.
Michigan State University have done research on the impact smiling has on our physiology. They have found that a fake or insincere smile can actually worsen our already low mood. So if you cannot smile for real then don’t bother smiling at all. They examined the effects of fake smiling or what they called ‘surface acting’, and compared it with ‘deep acting’, or genuine smiling by recalling pleasant memories or positive self talk. In their research they found that those who engaged in surface acting or “Smiling for the sake of smiling” experienced greater emotional exhaustion and withdrawal, while those who smiled as a result of cultivating positive thoughts improved their mood and withdrew less.
A simple conclusion here is to endeavour to deep act, to be sincere, smile because you mean it…..you can create that smile from within by how you focus your thinking and consequently your feelings.
There is a caveat here; while deep acting seemed to improve mood in the short-term, the researchers did note that there is a risk of feeling inauthentic if you, over a long period of time, are trying to cultivate positive feelings at the expense of feeling what is already there within you. Denial of your true state is never a clever long term strategy! Click on the links to get more detail on the research.
Sources: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/22/health/22really.html?_r=3&src=me&ref=health
http://news.msu.edu/story/8960/
R says:
May 11th, 2012 at 2:32 pm
I am a little shocked at this as I really do believe it helps when you are grumpy to smile more & after a while the smile spreads from your face to feeling happier. Have donet his for years now & while i find it can work with general bad form it doesnt seem to help at all if you are sad about something in particular. For sure I also agree that if you try smiling through really bad form that you do nearly start to resent having to smile when you feel so bad. Maybe it works only for grumpiness v’s specific bad form/mood…
admin says:
May 11th, 2012 at 3:16 pm
I know Roisin, it seems to contradict what we hear elsewhere. But i guess it makes sense in that if you are feeling down for whatever reason and can still bring a genuine smile to your face despite those feelings by focusing on something else that triggers the smile then you are still being congruent in that moment as opposed to just pretending to feel something. Denying our feelings is never a good strategy, so if we find it too difficult to conjure up a genuine smile then better to just go with the flow of how we are actually feeling and let it pass naturally.
Joyce says:
May 11th, 2012 at 5:38 pm
Hi Eoin, just watched your blog on smiling, so true but honestly you are meant for the stage. Well done you made me smile from the inside out
Joyce
admin says:
May 11th, 2012 at 5:46 pm
Thanks Joyce, really appreciate the feedback
Paula says:
May 11th, 2012 at 11:36 pm
Hi Eoin,
Great blog agree you are meant for the stage, you gave me a laugh…….. Loving the blogs
Paula
Olesja says:
May 19th, 2012 at 10:01 pm
Eoin,
Great video blog, made me smile a lot and laugh:) You are always authentic:))Just like in the class.
Re smiling very true! No wonder I never like when people tell me: smile, will you:)
Caroline Farry says:
May 22nd, 2012 at 3:47 pm
Hi Eoin great video i really enjoyed it ..you sent it at the right time for me as i am dealing with some one close to me who is wareing a mask and is not been ture to her self … but who am i to judge .. i have forward your e mail on to her at her request so my job is done .. Keep up the good work you are making a impact ..and in your words .. Warm Wishes …