When you smile, your brain releases serotonin and dopamine and other endorphins into your blood stream. These are natural chemicals produced by your body which make you feel so much happier, relaxed, more able to stay focused and positive.
Research in Canada found that the average four-year-old smiles four hundred times a day and when you watch a group of children for a while, you’ll notice they appear to be rather happy. That’s because they are. Meanwhile the average adult only smiles fourteen times a day, and many a lot less than that. And health services wonder why so many people need anti-depressants!
And here’s what’s equally as important. The mind cannot tell the difference between imagination and reality, so when you fake a smile, your body automatically releases those happy chemicals.
The important thing is to fake the smile properly. When you smile naturally, you also smile with your eyes. So, when you fake a smile, smile with your eyes too.
As an experiment, think about something now that makes you feel a little unhappy.
Then fake a smile. Go on do it.
It works doesn’t it! And every smile takes you another (s)mile down your road to success.