The power of a smile

Smile, there is much more to know about this most human of facial expressions. A smile is central to our evolution and one of the most powerful tools of human behaviour. Anyone who has been around a smiling baby knows how a spontaneous grin helps build kinship, strengthen social bonds and release positive brain chemicals that helps us feel good.
Child-Development experts call the positive exchange of smile between infant and adult the “interactional dance,” which emerges as the baby’s brain develops higher functioning. A mother and baby exchange smiles in a rhythmic and synchronized way that is important for the development of attachment and intellectual development. If a parent responds to a baby’s smile with an expressionless face, the infant gets upset. This indicates how important the care-givers smile is for the infant. Infants of depressed mothers show fewer signs of happiness and smile less often than infants of non-depressed mothers.
While some people are born with happier temperaments, which set them up for success, others can become happier by being taught how to cultivate a genuine smile. Putting on a happy face not only helps us to make friends, it translates into altered brain chemistry that makes us feel better. Smile, and the whole world smiles with you, and grey skies really will clear up if you put on a happy face.