Can a smile really change the outcome of your day? Let’s find out together on the occasion of the World Smile Day
“A day without a smile is a wasted day,” he said Charlie Chaplin: and he was more than right. Whether it is enigmatic like that of the merry or light like that of Buddha, it does not matter: sometimes, a simple laugh can become an effective weapon against the thousand daily problems. No, it is not the usual urban legend: this phenomenon has a very specific scientific explanation. Let’s find out together, on the occasion of the World Smile Day.
Can a smile really help?
Traffic, rain, endless checklists, timings to respect: office life can sometimes be tough. Many workers choose the path of resignation and alienation, completely abandoning themselves to the frenetic pace of their routine. Prolonging these conditions over time means increasing the possibility of developing disorders of a psychosomatic nature, such as for example insomnia e gastrointestinal problems. As evidenced by Eurodap in the course of a survey dated 2019, more and more people in Italy suffer from anxiety.
Changing one’s approach to life does not solve pathological cases, but it can certainly help to better manage the direct consequences.
Children, Borghetto Nomentano (Rome) circa 1953
Very young boy in the workshop of a cyclist repairs
cheerfully showing a bicycle to the photographer
typical smile of the age-specific change of teeth.
© AndoGilardi / Gilardi Photo Library
Serotonin and Dopamine: the chemistry of happiness
Let’s do a quick review. As part of the Organic chemistry, there are two very important molecules with a fairly complex structure: the Serotonin and the Dopamine. Both are produced by the brain and act as neurotransmitters, which allow neurons to interface with or stimulate certain muscle groups. There Serotonin descends from tryptophan (an essential amino acid) and subsequently turns into Melatonin. Inside the human body it plays a very important role: it regulates theappetite, the motility and the intestinal secretions and check the blood pressure. The Dopamine, on the other hand, is one catecholamine which has equally fundamental responsibilities: it controls the movement, the ability to lend attention and to try pleasure.
When these two substances fail, the body shows quite serious and obvious symptoms, such as panic attacks, depression e loss of motivation. Such ailments can significantly worsen an individual’s quality of life: can a smile really improve this?
The consequences of smiling on the brain
Focus for a moment on a positive event that has already happened. Let it be the birth of a son or yet another reply in TV of your favorite movie, a smile cannot fail to appear on your face. The sensations resulting from this imperceptible action are very pleasant: the muscles relax, the blood pressure stabilizes, the breathing slows down and the level of attention rises. This semblance of well-being is generated by the storm of Serotonin e Dopamine that’s raging in your brain. This mechanism also underlies the functioning of some classes of antidepressant drugs. In fact, they hinder the reuptake of neurotransmitters such as Serotonin, in an attempt to favor the prolongation of the positive signal.
In conclusion, it is clear how much having a positive attitude can help to overcome the small daily difficulties and beyond. Some recent research published in the journal Psychological Science dell’University of Kansas they underlined the contagiousness of this practice. In short, you have no more excuses not to smile!