The Shortest Path To Happiness Begins With A Smile

How many times have we asked ourselves how to achieve a happiness that seems to elude us? We have looked at those who smile, with a certain envy, thinking how easy it must be to do it when everything is going well for you. The reality is that sometimes the path is reversed: a smile can lead you to happiness.

We tend to let life happen and then react to events. If we change our perspective, we will see that our attitude and our actions have the power to influence how we feel. Happiness is not found, it is built. And one of the first steps in doing that is smiling.

Smiling tunes you in with the positive

An experiment carried out by Fritz Strack showed that smiling makes us more prone to good humor. The experiment consisted of two groups of people who were shown humorous strips. In one group, people held a pencil with their teeth so that their lips were stretched as if in a smile, while in the other group the expression was neutral.

The result was conclusive: those who previously smiled found the strips funnier, that is, they were more prone to good humor. This is explained because the brain, when perceiving the muscles of our face in the form of a smile, interprets them as a signal that we are happy, regardless of the cause, and tunes in with positive moods.

But the effect of a smile goes much further. We must bear in mind that the mind works “by tendencies”. When we are sad, angry or anxious, we interpret events from their most unpleasant side, as if we had a negativity detector. We also tend to remember the most painful or dark past events.

On the contrary, when we feel happy, our radar tunes to the positive and we find the pleasant side of each situation and person almost effortlessly. We take everything more philosophically and tend to remember pleasant events.

In short, forcing yourself to smile can be a good way to induce positive moods in our body, which also feed into each other. To find beauty in the memories of your past and in the events of your present, start by showing a smile.

The smile in social relationships

But in addition, there are many other reasons why smiling brings us closer to happiness. Consider, for example, the importance of this gesture in our relationships with others. Human beings are programmed to interpret a smile as a sign of safety. When someone smiles at us, our mind receives the message that we are in a safe environment and there is no need to be defensive.

Furthermore, due to the effect of mirror neurons, we tend to imitate the behavior of the person in front of us. In this way the smile is returned, generating a pleasant atmosphere between the two individuals. A gesture as simple as smiling at the baker, the bus driver or the supermarket cashier can improve our mood and that of the other person.

Extrapolating this phenomenon to our closest relationships, it will be easy for us to understand the great importance of the smile when it comes to generating a positive bond. Smiling predisposes us to be more kind, tolerant and optimistic. Thanks to this, a positive communication circle is established in which both members of the relationship give each other feedback.

Just as we react aggressively to an attack, we display love for the one who offers it to us first.  Smiling helps to forge healthy bonds, essential to be happy.

Start by smiling

Finally, let’s not forget that the smile is the predecessor of laughter. Laughing brings people together. Those who know how to laugh at circumstances and at themselves will enjoy greater self-esteem. In addition, a laugh at the right time can soften the most tense moments.

In many ways, the smile breaks the barriers of unhappiness and brings us closer to fulfillment. So if you can’t find a reason to smile, smile first. Even if it is forced, take this small step and help your mind change your mood. Whoever takes the smile as a habit easily finds reasons to justify it.