People smile, and it's a wonderful thing.
A few muscles near the corners of the mouth contract and voila, a smile.
What causes us to smile? Countless things, but by definition a smile is "a pleased, kind, or amused facial expression, typically with the corners of the mouth turned up and the front teeth exposed."
There are manufactured smiles and genuine smiles.
Genuine smiles and laughter are so important to displaying happiness. You can be happy without smiling, but smiling lets the world know how you're feeling.
A smile can show so many things besides simple happiness. A smile can show someone that you know them, it can show that you accept someone's apology, it can show self-confidence, physical attraction, an agreement ...
There are negative smiles, such as one that comes from causing pain to another person, challenging another person or showing pleasure if another person struggles. It's like laughing when somebody falls or something negative happens to them. A smile can be a sign of contempt. An article in Women's Health magazine reported that psychophysiologist Gary Schwartz and his colleagues found manufactured smiles are on average 10 times bigger than spontaneous ones, most likely because their point is to be seen. People caught in a lie often smile. A smile can be used as a tactic to fool others.
Smiles are such a huge part of the expressions we share. They can communicate a vast array of emotions.
When I go shopping, I like to smile at people, but sometimes I find I have a weird half-smile. This is because I've run into someone I either know, or should know, and don't quite know how to react. When you know virtually everyone you see in public, which sometimes happens in a community as small as ours, we could smile a lot during our greetings with others. Like everyone in life, my relationships with others have always been perfect. However, part of being a positive person is greeting others with kindness.
That's part of the golden rule - treat others as you would like to be treated. I don't think people have to bend over backwards to make me feel happy or entertain me. However, I'd like to greet everyone on friendly terms. Life is so much easier without negative drama. I don't care to focus much energy on people who are patently negative. While you can always work to improve and repair relationships with others you've been in conflict with, there are times when the other person is not interested in being cordial. You have to move on.
At the end of my year in kindergarten, my family moved from the south side of Janesville to the west side. I attended Washington Elementary School in first grade. On my first day of school, I was walking home when a group of six boys jumped out of a tree along the sidewalk and beat me up.
At the time, I didn't know any of them. I didn't do anything to any of them. They just climbed up in a tree and ambushed me. I cried all the way home.
Over time I came to know all of these boys. We played games together on the playground. I played on football teams with them. I became friends with them. I never asked them about that one day in first grade. I had moved past it, and they may have forgotten it. That was one case where I would have liked to have been greeted with a smile rather than a beating. I did, however, learn that my neighborhood had all sorts of things to keep my eyes open about. Life goes on. You have to learn how to take a beating, brush yourself off and keep going.
My wife and I were recently watching an episode of the television show "The Office." Much of the humor in the show is based on embarrassment. I find the show funny but difficult to watch because it makes me feel embarrassed. I don't relate my position here at Morris Media of Monroe to "The Office" because I simply couldn't deal with all of the embarrassment. In the show, actor Steve Carrell plays the office manager "Michael Scott." His character is a study in embarrassment.
Although I could stop watching the show, it's funny and it's one of the few shows that makes me burst into laughter. I think deep, hearty laughter is good for the soul. Playing with my grandniece and grandnephew make me smile. Just seeing my children or wife smile, also makes me smile. Sharing happiness with those whom I'm close with warms my heart.
My wife and I have a similar sense of humor and we enjoy looking at unimportant things and finding ways to be overly "snarky" about them. In other words, if we were watching a television show in which a couple was dressed for a ball in a tuxedo and an evening gown, I may turn to my wife and say, "You'd think they would have dressed up for something as important as the ball." I find humor trying to ignore the obvious in situations that aren't serious. This is wonderfully inoffensive when being entertained.
Endorphins are hormones secreted within the brain that cause an analgesic effect - they naturally make you feel good. An initial release of endorphins causes a person to smile. One person's release of endorphins can cause other people to have similar reactions and release endorphins. Spreading happiness and smiling is physiologically proven to be contagious. Positivity and happiness can be shared.
One of the best places to smile is when you're looking in a mirror. See yourself reflecting happiness. You'll understand how the world sees you sharing this with them. It will give you another reason to share your happiness with others.
- Matt Johnson is publisher of the Monroe Times. His column is published Wednesdays.
A few muscles near the corners of the mouth contract and voila, a smile.
What causes us to smile? Countless things, but by definition a smile is "a pleased, kind, or amused facial expression, typically with the corners of the mouth turned up and the front teeth exposed."
There are manufactured smiles and genuine smiles.
Genuine smiles and laughter are so important to displaying happiness. You can be happy without smiling, but smiling lets the world know how you're feeling.
A smile can show so many things besides simple happiness. A smile can show someone that you know them, it can show that you accept someone's apology, it can show self-confidence, physical attraction, an agreement ...
There are negative smiles, such as one that comes from causing pain to another person, challenging another person or showing pleasure if another person struggles. It's like laughing when somebody falls or something negative happens to them. A smile can be a sign of contempt. An article in Women's Health magazine reported that psychophysiologist Gary Schwartz and his colleagues found manufactured smiles are on average 10 times bigger than spontaneous ones, most likely because their point is to be seen. People caught in a lie often smile. A smile can be used as a tactic to fool others.
Smiles are such a huge part of the expressions we share. They can communicate a vast array of emotions.
When I go shopping, I like to smile at people, but sometimes I find I have a weird half-smile. This is because I've run into someone I either know, or should know, and don't quite know how to react. When you know virtually everyone you see in public, which sometimes happens in a community as small as ours, we could smile a lot during our greetings with others. Like everyone in life, my relationships with others have always been perfect. However, part of being a positive person is greeting others with kindness.
That's part of the golden rule - treat others as you would like to be treated. I don't think people have to bend over backwards to make me feel happy or entertain me. However, I'd like to greet everyone on friendly terms. Life is so much easier without negative drama. I don't care to focus much energy on people who are patently negative. While you can always work to improve and repair relationships with others you've been in conflict with, there are times when the other person is not interested in being cordial. You have to move on.
At the end of my year in kindergarten, my family moved from the south side of Janesville to the west side. I attended Washington Elementary School in first grade. On my first day of school, I was walking home when a group of six boys jumped out of a tree along the sidewalk and beat me up.
At the time, I didn't know any of them. I didn't do anything to any of them. They just climbed up in a tree and ambushed me. I cried all the way home.
Over time I came to know all of these boys. We played games together on the playground. I played on football teams with them. I became friends with them. I never asked them about that one day in first grade. I had moved past it, and they may have forgotten it. That was one case where I would have liked to have been greeted with a smile rather than a beating. I did, however, learn that my neighborhood had all sorts of things to keep my eyes open about. Life goes on. You have to learn how to take a beating, brush yourself off and keep going.
My wife and I were recently watching an episode of the television show "The Office." Much of the humor in the show is based on embarrassment. I find the show funny but difficult to watch because it makes me feel embarrassed. I don't relate my position here at Morris Media of Monroe to "The Office" because I simply couldn't deal with all of the embarrassment. In the show, actor Steve Carrell plays the office manager "Michael Scott." His character is a study in embarrassment.
Although I could stop watching the show, it's funny and it's one of the few shows that makes me burst into laughter. I think deep, hearty laughter is good for the soul. Playing with my grandniece and grandnephew make me smile. Just seeing my children or wife smile, also makes me smile. Sharing happiness with those whom I'm close with warms my heart.
My wife and I have a similar sense of humor and we enjoy looking at unimportant things and finding ways to be overly "snarky" about them. In other words, if we were watching a television show in which a couple was dressed for a ball in a tuxedo and an evening gown, I may turn to my wife and say, "You'd think they would have dressed up for something as important as the ball." I find humor trying to ignore the obvious in situations that aren't serious. This is wonderfully inoffensive when being entertained.
Endorphins are hormones secreted within the brain that cause an analgesic effect - they naturally make you feel good. An initial release of endorphins causes a person to smile. One person's release of endorphins can cause other people to have similar reactions and release endorphins. Spreading happiness and smiling is physiologically proven to be contagious. Positivity and happiness can be shared.
One of the best places to smile is when you're looking in a mirror. See yourself reflecting happiness. You'll understand how the world sees you sharing this with them. It will give you another reason to share your happiness with others.
- Matt Johnson is publisher of the Monroe Times. His column is published Wednesdays.
