Smile is something special

By Klaus Döring

A simple life is about living with intention, and finding joy in the simplicity of everyday moments.

Not only does smiling make you look more attractive, but it also exudes an air of confidence and competence. People who smile are usually thought to be friendlier, have good social skills, and a great sense of humor. A beautiful smile may be just what it takes to make friends or get a new job. A study done using a high school yearbook revealed that girls who displayed a sincere-smile that went so far as to crinkle their eyes now have a better over-all life and good marriages thirty-years later!

Psychology states that you can uplift your mood just by one simple trick, smiling. It is believed that the left cortex of our brain is the part which triggers happiness and by smiling, we stimulate it. Thus, leading to the release of endorphins, better known as the happy hormones, that calm us.

What is happiness in life? Typically, happiness is an emotional state characterized by feelings of joy, satisfaction, contentment, and fulfillment. While happiness has many different definitions, it is often described as involving positive emotions and life satisfaction.

When did you make somebody smile lastly, my dear reader? Maybe you think that this is hardly the time to do so right now. Understandable, if we consider today’s global and national situation.

Honestly, it seems we have no more time and no reason for laughter if we look around. That can wait until tomorrow or better until the day after tomorrow. Anticipation is better…

Our enemies laugh up their sleeves, and most of the time we miss to recognize the fortune still smiling at us. But hold on: he who laughs last laughs longest. Remember?

American neurologist Henri Rubenstein says, laughter lowers high blood pressure while aiding digestion and fostering sleep. Well, give me even a simple smile and believe in what  experts say: “Good humor can help the gravely or terminally ill to hear their ordeal”.

Well, even if we think we don’t have reasons to laugh, we should try to express mirth spontaneously, and we should try to be merry or gay. We still have reasons to start with the softest form of audible laughter – the vocalized smile. This is what I learned and experienced from the first moment on while travelling in Asia since 1978, and being an expat living in the Philippines since 1999 for good. Keep smiling – even you are overloaded with huge problems.

Experts also say good humor works because it helps people feel easier in mind. The French psychotherapist Sylvie Tenenbaum stressed that, in her patients, laughter often signals the dawning of a wholesome awakening to reality. Gallow humor might be dubious in the eyes of others. But try to sing out loud, try to cry, but try to laugh!

As a devout Christian, I love reading the bible. Ecclesiastes 3:1-4 say: “There is a time for everything … a time to be born and a time to die ,,, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh!”

And, very important – Psalms always help. The cries from the heart – the songs for sorrow as well as joy. For every emotion and mood, you can find a psalm to match. They wrestle with the deepest sorrow. Their voice is refreshingly spontaneous.

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Email: doringklaus@gmail.com or follow me on Facebook or LinkedIn or visit www.germanexpatinthephilippines.blogspot.com or www.klausdoringsclassicalmusic.blogspot.com.