I love your smile...

By -
Have you ever caught sight of your face in the mirror and noticed that your face looked tight and kind of...frowny? Everyone has heard the benefits of smiling:

1. It's less work (This is the one that's quoted all the time. It's probably not technically true that it takes fewer muscles to smile, but it sounds good!)

2. Smiling actually changes your mood and makes you feel better. There's lots of research on this.

3. People respond better to you when you smile. Good telephone salespeople will tell you that smiling on the phone makes people respond better - but the best research is to try it.

4. Smiling is good for your health. Research has linked smiling to everything from lowered blood pressure and a healthier immune system to longevity, and more likelihood of finding a life-partner.

5. It makes you more attractive. There's lots of research on this, too, but it's so obvious you wonder why anyone wasted the research money.

6. Smiling will keep your face looking younger for longer: tightening the mouth makes wrinkles around the mouth, and eventually those wrinkles will become permanent.

Of course, a fake smile is definitely more work than a habitual frown. So what can we do?

Rather than faking a smile, work on relaxing your face.

Most of us (in American culture) are used to expressing our emotions in our faces. If we are thinking or concentrating, we furrow our brows and tighten our mouths in something that looks like a frown. Last year I saw a photo of some friends and I playing music: every person in the group was "frowning"  - yet we were doing something we loved! 

Here's some ways to help you relax your face:
  • When you exercise or do yoga, make relaxing your face a part of your practice
  • You can practice relaxing your face during any activity, including driving, gardening, knitting, reading, playing golf or playing Sudoku
  • Keep a small mirror around, maybe on your desk or in your kitchen.  Just seeing the mirror itself can help remind you to relax your face
  • A photo of something that reminds you to relax will work just as well: maybe it's someone you love, or maybe it's a great photo of you
It takes a lot of mental focus to relax the facial muscles. It also takes time, not just a day or a week or a month, to erase the habits of a lifetime. But the benefits are amazing. Which of the reasons above will give you the incentive you need to start relaxing your face?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to Make a "Rush" Woven Seat Chair Using Old Jeans (or Fabric Scraps)

By -
Image
I used the technique for weaving a rush chair seat to make a chair seat using old jeans. The antique ladderback chair is just the right height for me to practice my Québécois button accordion. Fabric Choice Although at first I considered using t-shirt strips (also called tarn), I decided to jeans because denim is stronger and not stretchy. I had some old heavy linen fabric that would have done the trick, too, but I didn't have enough for the whole chair with either linen or jeans. I decided not to mix them, at least not for my first chair. I was advised, (correctly!) by other crafters, that all I had to do was out the word out, and I’d get donations. I sent out 4 emails and literally went shopping and there were two pairs of jeans on my doorstep. I had five more pairs by the weekend. (Now I need another chair!) Some Pointers Before I describe the process, here are some pointers. I don't recommend doing this with a stretchy fabric. Therefore, if you use jeans, avo
Read more

Keep One Point

By -
Image
I've been slowly but surely writing of a series posts devoted to each of the  four basic principles of Kokikai Aikido . One of these is Keep One Point to Develop Calmness. We spend about 90 minutes in each aikido class, and most students practice once or twice a week - only a small proportion of the of hours we are awake each week. It may be plenty of time to spend doing a demanding physical exercise, but we need to spend more time working on the underlying principles for them to become second nature in our bodies. Fortunately, all of the basic principles are easily practiced at any time, not just in class. We can easily practice finding and keeping One Point while off the mat, and test the results when we're back on the mat. What Is One Point? One Point is a concept closely related to your center of balance. Centuries ago martial artists discovered that if the mind is focused on keeping this point low, one becomes stronger and harder to move. In Kokikai, we first learn
Read more

Kotsu-Kotsu

By -
Image
Several years ago I visited Japan for the third Kokikai Aikido International Convention. Because of the language barrier I wasn’t able to talk to very many of Maruyama Sensei ’s Japanese students in depth. However, I did spend some time talking to Shuji Ozeki, founder of Kokikai Australia , who speaks English fluently. Ozeki Sensei has practiced Kokikai Aikido for over 25 years. He now lives in Seki, Japan and runs the Ozeki School of Japanese Cuisine .  We immediately slipped into a discussion about the core of Sensei’s teaching, and whether it was different for Japanese or American students. Ozeki Sensei was effusive about the way that Sensei’s teaching has greatly benefited his own life and benefits others by encouraging all human beings to respect one another. with Shuji Ozeki at Kokikai Aikido International Convention Ozeki Sensei explained to me the Japanese phrase, “Ichi go, ichi e.” I had purchased this calligraphy at a temple in Kyoto. I have heard it interpreted in
Read more