Don't

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Don't
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"Fall"
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Apart!
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The Duchenne smile
Guillaume Duchenne (1806-75) experimented
with electricity and determined that smiles
resulting from true happiness not only utilize
the muscles of the mouth but also those of the
eyes. Such "genuine" smiles are called Duchenne
smiles in his honor.
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We smile when we're happy but we also become
happy when we smile it works both ways. The
emotional response to endorphins is happiness
which creates a smile, but the smile also creates
endorphins. This lifting of our mood is wonderful
for our health and well-being. It boosts our
immune system and can even improve our posture.
Yes, I do mean that. You can experiment by
putting yourself into an awful slouch so you are
really collapsed and slumped forwards then say "I
am Happy!!" Does this ring with any truth? Now if
you bring yourself up to your full height (use
the principles of the Alexander Technique if you
know how, by freeing your neck and thinking your
head upwards), look out into the world around
you, relax your shoulders, stand broad across
your shoulders and now say "I am Sad!!" That does
not ring with truth either, does it?
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If you gain top marks in an exam you are elated
and will feel 'UP', but if we fail we may feel
depressed. The actual word 'Depressed' also
applies to our posture and the effect of our
downward collapse depresses our insides. There
are a great many people who do not smile much
indeed none of us do compared to when we were
children, laughing up to 600 times a day. But the
smile, as long as it is an honest one not only
does so much for our health, but will also
improve our social life it is contagious and
what we give out, we receive in return.
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None of us consciously think about the types of
smile that people give, but our subconscious
certainly reads facial expressions more
accurately than we can possibly imagine, so we
know how to respond to others. It's all body
language. It has become popular with some people
to try and eliminate the crow's feet from around
the eyes by Botox or anti-wrinkle cream, in an
attempt to 'stay young'. It is unlikely that our
subconscious will be fooled by this as we read so
many small signals in body language, eyes,
posture, movement and spirit.
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Attempting to reduce these little lines around
the corners of our eyes also removes part of the
expression that makes us attractive, our display
of happiness by doing so we interfere with our
Duchenne smile! Far better I think, to allow all
our natural expression to show exude the
qualities that we like to see in
others. Apparently long-onset smiles have been
shown through tests to be perceived as more
attractive, more trustworthy and less dominant.
Head tilting also increased attractiveness and
trustworthiness but only if the head is tilted in
the right direction. In this case, the right
direction is the same way as eye orientation or
towards a partner.
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Make friends with your Duchenne smile and others
will make friends with you too... -)
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• Created by Meghan Hipple,
• Elmira College