The Power Of Smiles And Laughter

I smile and I feel good; I make someone smile and it makes me happy. When I smile, I feel less stressed. If I go through a difficult time, when I smile I feel that I may be able to cope with it. A smile makes me relax and distracts me.

Is it true that a good laugh prolongs life? Yes, there is some truth in that… And do you know why? Because when the brain laughs, it releases endorphins.

Endorphins are released in all positive moods, and they play one of the most important roles in feeling joy and help the brain curb feelings of pain.

Also when we laugh, we release less cortisol, the stress hormone. To compensate, the brain releases dopamine, a substance associated with positive emotions. By laughing, we also release negative energy from the body, just as Freud told us.

I do not want you to miss smiles and laughter, so I also want to tell you that when you activate the facial muscles that are responsible for laughing, your brain immediately begins to release dopamine and endorphins, even if your smile is not spontaneous.

This last nuance is very important, because this means that by consciously changing our expression, we can also change our state of mind. Fantastic!

On the other hand, what happens when others make us laugh? Well, your brain is oxygenated and your limbic system is activated, which facilitates memory retention.

So do not forget to make someone laugh before you tell them something you want them to remember. Your brain will be more prepared to encode, retain and recall this information.

smile and laughterSocial effects of smiling

After seeing how our brains work when we laugh, now we’ll see what happens to others when we give them a smile.

One thing we do know is that smiling makes us more attractive. We like smiling people more than people who do not smile or who mostly frown when we meet them.

Smiling projects an image of security and confidence, reliability and approach. And when we smile, we feel more optimistic and better about ourselves. That self-perception is noticeable.

Smiling has the power to make others smile, thanks to our “mirror neurons”. These neurons are responsible for us imitating what we see around us.

That’s why sometimes, when we hear or see someone laughing like crazy, we start doing the same thing without knowing why. In essence, we are “infected” by their positive energy.

Humor, smiles and laughter can give us a new perspective because they activate our frontal brain lobe. This area is responsible for the most advanced human functions, such as creativity, perseverance, flexible thinking and organization. In fact, this was shown by a study on laughter and the brain conducted in 2010.

Smile and laughter: Surround yourself with people who make you laugh

Now that you know all the benefits of laughing, you know that it’s worth looking for people to make you laugh. Optimistic people with smiles on their faces. You know how to surround yourself with people who transfer energy and happiness.

You can look for people who know how to laugh at their problems, who can see the fun side of situations and above all who know how to laugh at themselves. You want to be with people who spread smiles.

Let’s make a commitment to make others laugh, release dopamine and endorphins, reduce cortisol and activate our mirror neurons. I commit to this because I want to see you laugh. Because humor helps us overcome adversity and see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I want to do this, because maybe when I have nothing more to offer, I can at least give you a good laugh…