Smiling Human
We don’t often talk about simple things these days like smiling humans, so when I helped to instigate this one I have to give a shout out for something positive.
Nature provides us with infinite resources, for nourishment, for wellness, for beauty. Papaya is a delicious fruit, it also aids in calming an upset stomach. The essential oil of ylang ylang is found in high-end perfumes and are known as an insect repellent in their local environment. These gifts and more from nature came together for something new, A Smiling Human. Perspective matters.
This Smiling Human represents a collaborative perspective in creativity. Deferring judgement, tolerance for ambiguity, building on others’ ideas and going for something wild and crazy are four elements that mark the rules when embarking on creative thinking. This creative process stimulates creative product, in this case a smiling human.
And the Smiling Human reflects so much more. A smile is a happy feeling that triggers endorphin production and neuronal signals to the facial muscles for a Duchenne smile and the start of a positive feedback loop of happiness. This genuine smile involves two sets of muscles, mouth corners and eye sockets. Mouth corner smile only is that fake smile and my kids pull me up on it every time to the point where I have decided it go. Eye-wrinkled genuine smiles are even more important these days since mouths are hidden behind masks…
Can’t get to that real smile? Practice by holding a pencil in your mouth to strengthen the zygomaticus major and orbicularis oculi muscles. Still have trouble smiling? Vision someone you love or a fond memory to change your brain pre-encounter to send an endorphin-releasing message to your brain to literally change your brain. Kids smile some 400 times a day. Happy adults smile some 40-50 times a day, not so happy adults 20 times or less. So yeah, coax that inner smile if you have to. Fake it until you become it.
When an encounter happens or even pre-encounter, we have a choice in our reply: smile or not. What can be appreciated ? How might a smile instigate possibility and with that hope for an outcome that reaches a new height?
Yes to more smiling. The other contagion.
Image from Creativity Through English Class, 9/10/21
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