We Are What You Do - Learn a good joke
Having a laugh with friends, colleagues or family can brighten up your day and reduce your stress levels.
Some people have the knack of telling good jokes, for others this may not be a skill that you possess. But everyone could have at least one good joke to pull out of the bag when the situation calls for a little 'light relief'.
Of course you have all heard the saying " it takes fewer muscles to smile than frown".
Here are some more 'smiling' facts:
- A smile is a universal expression of happiness and recognised as such by all cultures
- A smile is the most frequently used facial expression. It takes as few as five pairs of facial muscles and as many as all 53 to smile
- Smiling releases endorphins and makes us feel better
- Even 'faking' a smile can lead to feeling happier
- People are born with the ability to smile (they don't copy the expression, even babies who are born blind, smile)
- Babies reserve special smiles for their loved ones
- A newborn shows a preference for a smiling face over a non-smiling face
- Women smile more than men
- Younger people smile more than older people
- There are 18 different kinds of smile used in a variety of social situations
- Human beings can differentiate between the 'felt' smile and the social smile - 'it's in the eyes' (literally)
- A smiling person is judged to be more pleasant, attractive, sincere, sociable, and competent than a non-smiling person
- A person who studies laughter is called a 'gelotologist'
For information about mental health issues, visit the |Mind or |First Steps websites.
