“Ding,
Ding, Ding”, the alarm clock goes off and for once you wake up with a big smile on your face. Why? Well of
course because today is your birthday silly. Later on the night you come home,
put the key in the door and hear “SURPRISE!” A big, wide grin flashes across your face,
the biggest grin you’ve made in a long time. A few days prior to all of this
your best friend asked you what your favorite flavor of cake is and you say
strawberry. When it is time to cut the cake you notice it is strawberry and you’re
filled will all kinds of joy and happiness inside, you don’t necessary smile
outright, but just to know that someone went through all that trouble just for
you makes you smile inside. When you’re presented with your gift, it turns out
your brother flew home from out of town just to see you and you are in such
shock you cry or your heart just melts all together.
So now I
guess you can tell me… do you necessarily need smiles in order to be happy or
to show your happiness? Emotion is controlled by part of the cortex and the
limbic system together. When you’re afraid, sad, angry, excited, or happy it is
the limbic system that is working in order for you to FEEL these particular
emotions. Therefore, you can feel happy without actually smiling, or showing it
in any way. Although, it is pretty difficult to conceal your emotions, it is
possible. There are some individuals who
this particularly speaks to, because they can feel emotion, but they are not
physically capable of displaying it.
People with
Mobius syndrome are physically incapable of smiling. They are unable to move
their facial muscles in order to smile, although they may feel joy and
excitement. These children and older adults, have trouble connecting and making
friends, because of their condition. The
disorder affects 1 in 50,000 to 1 in 500,000 newborns, and eventually they may
be eligible to undergo surgery for an artificial smile.
So smiling doesn’t all necessarily have to lead to happiness
but it can. Studies even show that smiling can increase serotonin levels in the
brain and alleviate depression.
This video details a little bit of why smiling can have an effect on your mood.
"Sometimes
your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the
source of your joy." ~Thich Nhat Hanh
