Allen Klein: Try Smiling

Written by Allen Klein, MA, CSP, Om Times. | Thanks to Awakening Daily.

No matter who says what, you should accept it with a smile and do your own work.

– Mother Teresa, Albanian missionary

I know that smiling may sound simplistic but when things are getting you down sometimes a simple smile can lift you up. According to Dr. Dale Anderson, if you are stressed out “smiling can produce an immediate change of physical, mental, and emotional states.”

“Test this idea for yourself,” he says. “The next time you are feeling sad or mad, force yourself to smile. Do this no matter how silly it seems at the moment. Then carefully observe the resulting changes in your attitude. Notice any subtle feeling of relaxation or relief?”

And your smile doesn’t even have to be genuine. According to a study from Clark University, it doesn’t matter whether you are smiling for real or faking it. A phony smile is as good for you as a real one. Either can trigger happier memories within you – and your body doesn’t know the difference between a genuine one and a pretend one.

We’ve all heard commercial claims stating, “nine out of ten doctors recommend….” Well I’m not sure it is nine out of ten but a number of doctors recommend that you smile more often. One prescribes two smiles a day to his patients in pain. Another encourages people to practice smiling intentionally in order to tap into what she calls “happiness hormones.” And, a third, notes that even just viewing a smiling face on someone else gives the observer more life energy.

 

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