An AM Smile can be an instantaneous mood booster. Smiling reduces stress levels while simultaneously releasing feel-good chemicals like dopamine and endorphins into your system, elevating your state of mind.
Yet the notion that smiling can lead to greater happiness may be more difficult to prove in a laboratory than initially anticipated, particularly given how many studies failed to replicate one seminal study's results.
1. Sit up straight
Sitting up straight is an indicator that both your body and mind are healthy and ready for the day ahead, helping reduce anxiety and promote overall good health. Slumping over can cause mental health problems like negative thoughts or feelings of hopelessness; studies have found that those who sit upright have lower heart rates and blood pressure more often than those who slouch over.
An effective and simple way to start each morning off right is to practice a "half-smile". This technique involves relaxing your facial features from the forehead down through the jaw and chin before gently turning lips upward into a half-smile - this acts as a form of communication with yourself while signaling your to the brain to release neuropeptides that make you happier.
Smiles send out a powerful signal that says everything is OK in our world, helping us feel more approachable and trustworthy, drawing people closer to us, and inspiring more interaction between people. A smile can even make your entire day brighter!
If you're having difficulty smiling, try thinking of something or someone that brings joy into your life. Additionally, take out a few sticky notes and write the names or traits on them as reminders throughout the day to smile and maintain that smile!
When you see those notes, they'll serve as a reminder that even small gestures can bring immense pleasure! A little smile goes a long way!
Make today the day that you add some morning smile tips into your daily routine and reap their many advantages! Doing so could create an excellent way to start each day off right and increase productivity as well. From smiling at yourself in the mirror or saying, "Good morning", to saying hi to loved ones or simply waving to neighbors while walking along your morning path; these habits will bring much-needed cheer into your day and can even transform it! Make today your start date - who knows, this might just lead to happier life experiences!
2. Breathe deeply
Breathing deeply may feel like an unnecessary hassle, but adding it into your morning routine can help ease stress and worries. Sit comfortably and inhale deeply through your nose; imagine hot air coming through holes in the soles of your feet, moving slowly up through your legs, abdomen and finally into your lungs; repeat for two or three breaths before lying down or continuing this breathing exercise.
Smile regularly to relax more easily and boost your mood. A longitudinal study followed participants and researchers discovered that those who regularly smiled reported greater happiness. Furthermore, these participants reported more positive emotions such as hope, gratitude and compassion in daily life.
Smiling can help lift your mood, and it's contagious. According to research, when we witness another person smiling, our brain actually mimics their expression - meaning you might find yourself smiling back even if you don't feel like it! This could explain why coworkers or friends might find themselves smiling back even though you might not feel like doing it yourself.
Yoga practitioners and those practicing other forms of meditation understand the value of smiling to start the day off right. Smiling can increase oxytocin flow in your bloodstream, which in turn lowers both your blood pressure and heart rate while simultaneously decreasing levels of cortisol, the hormone associated with stress.
But evidence that fake smiles make people happier is far from certain. Studies using various methodologies produced inconsistent and unpredictable results; thus leading to no reproducible findings. To help address this, Fredrickson and her team trained adults to cultivate positive emotions like love, hope, and compassion through loving-kindness meditation sessions - and discovered these meditations caused significant improvements in physical and psychological resources after nine weeks.
But perhaps the greatest reason to smile every morning is simply for its health benefits. Studies have demonstrated how smiling can reduce cardiovascular disease risk factors and depression symptoms as well as help strengthen immunity against infections or sickness.
3. Stretch
There has been much discussion surrounding whether smiling can make us happier, especially after 17 labs worldwide failed to replicate seminal facial feedback research that claimed that participants found Gary Larson comics more amusing when holding a pen between their teeth without touching lips (activating similar muscle groups as when we smile). Yet everyone seems to agree: stretching in the morning will definitely help.
Stefani Sassos, an NASM-Certified Personal Trainer from Good Housekeeping Institute Fitness Expert and NASM, advises stretching every morning before you rise from bed. Stretching doesn't take too much time but can leave you more energized, refreshed and limber for your day," according to Stefani.
She recommends practicing smiling each morning in front of a mirror and activating both mouth corners--as well as eyes--for an authentic expression. "If you can actually do this, it is very hard to fake!" says Ms. Rossi.
While a genuine smile might not bring immediate brightness to an otherwise grey day, it can help elevate your spirit by encouraging wider perspectives and open thinking - qualities we could all use more of in our lives.
4. Smile
Smiles have the power to transform even the darkest day into an enjoyable one, helping us face life head on without dwelling on any negative aspects. By starting each morning by breaking your routine with an act of smiling, it will not only improve how you feel but also how you perceive life around you.
Smiles send a powerful signal to your brain that everything is okay, prompting the release of feel-good hormones that help relax you. They may also decrease stress levels which could contribute to high cortisol production and heart disease risk factors.
Smiling can increase both your self-esteem and immune system function, helping you cope more effectively with stressful situations and prevent sickness or disease. Even fake smiling can make us happier; studies indicate that physically arranging our faces into this expression produces positive effects.
Smiles engage multiple muscle groups: cheek muscles and those responsible for "laugh lines" around your eyes are both activated by smiling. Aiming to activate all these muscle groups should be your goal when smiling; practice by standing in front of a mirror and practicing smiling until all these muscle groups become engaged; even better if you can crinkle up your nose to add the effect of genuine smiling.
Studies conducted by Nature Human Behavior discovered that when people faked smiled, they experienced similar emotional benefits as those who were truly content. Researchers believe this happens because faking smiles activates similar pathways in your brain as experiencing actual happiness - your body believes you are feeling great!
Smiles can make people more approachable and trustworthy, which is essential in business and social environments. Smiling can also foster an expansive mindset which can help people deal with challenges more easily in life and achieve greater success - this was why Japan's Keihin Electric Express Railway Company made their employees smile as they checked in each day--smiling was thought to be vital to its success!
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