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Title: Neuroscience Says Doing This 1 Thing Makes You Just as Happy as Eating 2,000 Chocolate Bars
Source:
Inc.
URL Source: https://getpocket.com/explore/item/ ... -bars?utm_source=pocket-newtab
Published: Dec 3, 2020
Author: Melanie Curtin
Post Date: 2020-12-03 05:10:23 by Deckard
Keywords: None
Views: 2440
Comments: 9
Wanting to be happier is a universal trait. It's rare to find a person whose reply to, "How would you like to feel today?" is, "Morose, please." The scientific study of happiness (aka positive psychology) has mushroomed over the last two decades. Major research institutions have taken on substantial and often thought-provoking forays into the joy of joy, with surprising and often enlightening results. One such study took place in the UK, where researchers used electromagnetic brain scans and heart-rate monitors to generate what they called "mood-boosting values" for different stimuli. In other words, they had participants do, look at, or listen to different things, and measured how happy it made them. One thing trumped all else. It emerged as giving participants the equivalent level of brain stimulation as up to 2,000 chocolate bars. It was just as stimulating as receiving up to $25,000. What was this magic stimulus? A smile. Smiling, as it turns out, has truly remarkable effects. First, doing it actually makes you feel good even if you're not feeling good in the moment. A 2009 fMRI study out of Echnische Universität in Munich demonstrated conclusively that the brain's happiness circuitry is activated when you smile (regardless of your current mood). If you're down, smiling actually prompts your brain to produce feel-good hormones, giving credence to the adage, "fake it til you make it" when it comes to your state of mind. Smiling is also a predictor of longevity. In a 2010 out of Wayne State University, researchers looked at Major League baseball card photos from 1952. They found that the span of a player's smile actually predicted his lifespan -- unsmiling players lived 72.9 years on average, while beaming players lived a full seven years longer. Similarly, a 30-year longitudinal study out of UC Berkeley examined the smiles of students in an old yearbook, with almost spooky results. The width of students' smiles turned out to be accurate predictors of how high their standardized tests of well-being and general happiness would be, how inspiring others would find them, even how fulfilling their marriages would end up. Those with the biggest smiles came up on top in all the rankings. Finally, research demonstrates that when we smile, we look better to others. Not only are we perceived as more likable and courteous, but those who benefit from our sunny grins actually see us as more competent (something to keep in mind while giving presentations or interacting in the office). Want to know where you stack up when it comes to smiling? Know this: under 14% of us smile fewer than 5 times a day (you probably don't want to be in that group). Over 30% of us smile over 20 times a day. And there's one population that absolutely dominates in the smile game, clocking in at as many as 400 smiles a day: children. So there you have it: smiling makes you feel good, makes you look good, and gets you a better marriage in the end. Seems like something to smile about. It also gives you the same neurological boost as receiving $25,000.
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#1. To: A K A Stone, Liberator, watchman, ibjensen, jeremiad, WWG1WWA (#0)
(Edited)
Similarly, a 30-year longitudinal study out of UC Berkeley examined the smiles of students in an old yearbook, with almost spooky results. The width of students' smiles turned out to be accurate predictors of how high their standardized tests of well-being and general happiness would be, how inspiring others would find them, even how fulfilling their marriages would end up. Those with the biggest smiles came up on top in all the rankings. Government is in the last resort the employment of armed men, of policemen, gendarmes, soldiers, prison guards, and hangmen. Seems like something to smile about. Yes – if you have the right type of smile. There are 19 types of smile but only six are for happiness. Watch the video – In the article to learn the secrets behind our smiles.
Getting your clock cleaned also works wonders on one's frame of mind.
Liberals are like Slinkys. They're good for nothing, but somehow they bring a smile to your face as you shove them down the stairs.
You picked such a wonderful way – with this thread – to start a glorious day. I knew you had this potential bottled up inside you all the time. Keep up the great work. I am so very proud of you. I’ll bet that even Stone is too …
You found a great source when you discovered the Pocket. Click here to find a terrific topic for your next “happiness” thread. It is titled: And God knows, we can surely use that during these trying times. Can’t we …
You have a wonderful day, Deckard. I'll catch you later …
I smile all the time. :) I was leaving a favorite lounge when some guy said to me, "Every time I see you, you are always smiling." He looked perplexed. I told him, "Happiness is a decision." It is. We all have crap in our lives, so why dwell on it. I decide to be happy and I am.
I think it was Dennis Prager who continuously preaches that we all OWE the world a smile, just like we owe it to others to brush our teeth and keep ourselves well attired and clean. Happiness is a habit. I am not that often happy, but I am always smiling. It is a habit I cannot break even in the worst circumstances. The default position of my face is smile.
THIS IS A TAG LINE...Exercising rights is only radical to two people, Tyrants and Slaves. Which are YOU? Our ignorance has driven us into slavery and we do not recognize it.
Smiling is also a predictor of longevity. In a 2010 out of Wayne State University, researchers looked at Major League baseball card photos from 1952. They found that the span of a player's smile actually predicted his lifespan -- unsmiling players lived 72.9 years on average, while beaming players lived a full seven years longer.
The essential feature of government is the enforcement of its decrees by beating, killing, and imprisoning.
Those who are asking for more government interference are asking ultimately for more compulsion and less freedom.
#2. To: Deckard, All (#0)
(Edited)
So there you have it: smiling makes you feel good … So the next time someone tells you to ‘smile’, remember – it’s up to you which one you choose.
#3. To: Deckard, All (#2)
#4. To: Deckard (#0)
#5. To: Deckard, All (#3)
#6. To: Deckard, All (#3)
(Edited)
Discover the best of the web.
#7. To: Deckard (#6)
(Edited)
#8. To: Deckard (#1)
#9. To: WWG1WWA (#8)
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