A smile a day may keep a lot of things away including the doctor. Martin Seligman, father of Positive Psychology and a leading researcher in the field of psychology, offered a different perspective on helping people who were struggling with life. His research focused upon the characteristics and behaviors of people who were flourishing in life rather that the traditional psychological approach of trying to find out what is broken or wounded with someone and then trying to “fix” what is wrong.He discovered a relationship between how people behave and think have an impact upon their emotional wellbeing. The age-old question arises, “Which comes first, the chicken or the egg?” Do emotionally healthy people think healthy and exhibit heathy behaviors or do people who think and behavior healthy become emotionally healthy?
Current research suggests that how people think and behave can in fact impact and change the neurological connections within the brain. Certain behaviors and thoughts can cause increased activity either in the areas of the brain that tend to be more hopeless and negative or those that are more hopeful and content. Seligman (1991) wrote, “The defining characteristics of pessimists is that they tend to believe that bad events will last a long time, will undermine everything they do, and are their own fault. The optimists, who are confronted with the same hard knocks of this world, think about misfortune in the opposite way. They tend to believe that defeat is just a temporary setback or a challenge, that its causes are just confined to this one case.”
As the director of The Positive Psychology Center at The University of Pennsylvania, discovered a remarkable finding. His science team used photographs of over 10,000 college graduates in the 1930s as part of their study. The team conducted a survey with the people photographed who were still living. What they discovered was interesting and amazing. People who were smiling in their photograph on average lived 7.3 years longer than the rest of the people in the study. Were the results simply a correlation which means increased longevity and the smile were unrelated or did the smile which might be indicative of a positive perspective or happy disposition contribute to the increased lifespan? The research is mixed.
Evidence suggests that when people feel forced to smile and to be positive, they experience increased stress and other negative emotions. On the other hand, I have found that when people focus upon their strengths and successes, they tend to become more optimistic and empowered. I encourage you to do your own research with yourself. Try this: Find a place where you will not be interrupted. Sit in a comfortable position. Close your eyes if you choose. Try to imagine someone or even a pet who brings up positive emotions within you. At first try starting with just a small hint of a smile. Take notice of any changes within your body. Notice any emotional, somatic, or cognitive shifts. If you feel comfortable enlarge your smile and once again take note of any changes.
A smile can be a powerful thing. I know when someone smiles at me, it brightens my day.
