The gesture of a smile: the benefits of smiling and laughing

Have you ever wondered how many times you smile during the day? Surely we are many who get out of bed and frowning with the echo of stress thinking: today is Monday again, I'm late for work and among all those thoughts we forget the simple gesture of stopping, lifting your head , say good morning and smile at life.

Yes, that gesture that is universal as it is the fact of smiling at the person next to us, no matter if we know something or not, or if we share common tastes. The truth is that we are all connected by an invisible thread.

That invisible thread that at any point of our life can come together. We probably do not even really know what the verb "smile" means. We all think: I do smile, and if we stop to count the times, sadly we realize that this is not the case.

Without noticing the rush corrupts us every minute since we get out of bed until we return to it. We are constantly giving our mind too much activity, since properly she works very well on her own.

We strive to please, and to like, to meet expectations but, are we really being true to ourselves? Is it really in this place where we want to be and who do we want to be with?

All at some time of this beautiful trip that life offers us we have said so far. Now I'm going to do what I'm really passionate about, regardless of the fears, the one that will say and the repercussion because a path guided by the heart and the passion that follows will probably be more accurate than one guided by fears and what is supposed to be It should be done.

It's time to start with the simplest but at the same time it seems to be the most complicated. Let's look at the neighbor's smile, let's smile.

What does it mean to smile?

It is a simple gesture full of positive contributions. This improves the mood and mood of the person that we stumble without expecting. Yes, that person who also has his problems and to whom we can change the day with just one gesture: smile.

The Royal Academy of the Spanish Language recognizes this gesture as the act of offering a happy or joyful aspect or even laughing a little, slightly or without noise. What does it sound simple ?.

Smiling means showing a gesture of closeness, since, it cuts that dividing line of tension and seriousness. Smiling means loving the other from a distance. Smiling means that you are here conscious and present.

What happens when, in addition to smiling, we laugh?

Neurologically when a person laughs, it actually releases endorphins and dopamine, both neurotransmitters related to psychological well-being.

When a person laughs their stress diminishes, as their cortisol levels decrease.

Laughter helps to cure depression, and relieve sadness, cleanses and ventilates the lungs, relaxes tense muscles, improves oxygenation of the brain, lowers blood pressure in the blood, relieves insomnia, enhances creativity and imagination ... I could continue but even so after so much benefit, do you dare not to continue laughing ?.

The incredible benefits of laughter

That laughter is good for health there is no doubt. When we laugh we are happier at least at that moment. Currently the society in which we live and the pace of life that we carry out make us not have many opportunities to laugh.

We overflow our worries to the point of not realizing that we could take them better by putting a smile in our lives. When laughing the brain secretes endorphins that act as a sedative for the brain, it is the pleasant sensation that gives us laugh.

Laughter is also a healthy anti-stress technique that frees us from the stresses that can be produced by both the mind and the body. At the moment we give free rein to our laughter we exercise by putting into operation the muscles of the face and strengthening the muscular, cardiac, digestive, nervous and cerebral system.

Currently, natural therapies are being carried out to help people to de-stress or to forget for a few moments of the worries, this therapy is known by the name of laugh therapy.

And what are those wonderful benefits? Take note:

  • Relaxation: it helps us to relax both physically and mentally. From a physical point of view, laughter relaxes the muscles of our body. From a mental point of view, did you know that 1 minute of laughter equals 45 minutes of relaxation?
  • Against stress and depressionIn addition to helping to relax our body and our mind, it is also ideal for reducing stress (by reducing the production of hormones that produce it) and is useful in the treatment of depression.
  • Beneficial against insomnia: laughter promotes relaxation, and therefore it will also help us to rest better, which means that it is a good natural treatment against insomnia.
  • Low selfsteem: laughter strengthens low self-esteem, so it is useful to increase self-esteem when we have it low.
  • Useful against constipation: thanks to the fact that it makes the liver vibrate, facilitating digestion in turn.

From here we encourage you to see the positive side of things and to put a dose of laughter in your life, you will see how everything is going better for you. This article is published for informational purposes only. It can not and should not replace the consultation with a Psychologist. We advise you to consult your trusted Psychologist.

The power of the smile | Danielle Popov | TEDxYouth@WISS (October 2024)