Why is smiling so contagious?
Smile and the world smiles back at you. Neurologists have already scientifically proven this proverb. "Smiling is healthy". But what causes it?
By hearing other people laughing, the brain reacts and prepares the face muscles automatically for the upcoming laugh. This also happens, if there is no reason to be happy. The reason why people laugh is usually not because the told story is super funny.
Laughing has more to do with a social moment than humour, says Laura Tuttelmann of Loopline Systems Blog. According to experts, less than 20% of laughs are a response to something that deals with humour. Laughing rather triggers positive emotions and leads to a more relaxed atmosphere within a group. This is also the reason why we tend to laugh in awkward and uncomfortable moments. Disgrace decreases and laughing indicates that a situation was not meant to be too serious.
Contagious smiling or laughing is the basis of reading others’ emotions and registering how you should, in turn, feel. Contrary to logic, when you meet someone face-to-face, you don’t consciously process their expression, register a happy smile, and then smile back. Instead, you mimic their expression unconsciously, which then that tells your brain what to feel. All this happens in a few hundred milliseconds.
READ:Â Seven reasons for you to laugh more often
The part of the brain responsible for mirroring is called the inferior frontal gyrus, which sits above your temple towards the forehead. This “emotional mirroring” is one theory of emotional perception and the subject of much psychological research.
Smiling is one of the very few gestures which means the same thing all around the globe. Handshakes, thumbs up, and hugs can have completely different meanings in different countries however, the meaning of a smile is universal. This means that you can travel anywhere in the world and communicate happiness. So why not share a smile everywhere you go?!
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