My first Magazine EDUCARE MAGAZINE SPECIAL NOVEMBER EDITION 2019 | Page 17

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W
hen was the last time you
shared your big, powerful,
authentic smile with
someone else? Hopefully
you’ll say today! Smiling is
a universally recognised gesture which fires up
positive vibes not only in the person who is
smiling but also in the people who see the smile.
There’s a whole science behind the incredibly
powerful act of smiling which is often forgotten
about. I hope that reading this post will
encourage and help you to burst out your smiles
every opportunity you can.
The science of smiling
Running Scared
Let’s start by having a look at what
research has said about smiling so far.
A smile triggers your brain’s reward
mechanism in a way that not even
chocolate can, with some research
suggesting you’ll get more pleasure
from smiling than from eating 2,000
bars of chocolate.
CHILD ABUSE
AND NEGLECT
By Leah Davies, M.Ed.
A
lthough federal legislation
provides basic guidelines
for definitions of child
abuse and neglect, each
state has specific laws.
State statutes describe abuse in terms of
"harm or threatened harm" to a child
and mandate when to intervene.
Exemptions vary in each state but can
include religious exemption, corporal
punishment, poverty, and cultural
practices. States usually provide
separate definitions for different types
of abuse and neglect. It is important for
educators to become familiar with the
statutes of their state.
Being abused and/or neglected can
have a long-term negative impact upon
children. They have an increased risk of
being developmentally delayed and
Educare November 2019
Abusive parents or
caregivers tend to have
unrealistic expectations for
the child, deny the
existence of difficulties, or
blame the school or teacher
for the child's problems.
experiencing social and emotional
difficulties. Abused children are more
likely than the general population to use
drugs, become violent, and engage in
delinquent behavior.
Educators are mandated by law to
report suspected cases to the local child
protective services agency or to the
police department. Since abused and
neglected children are represented in
most classrooms, teachers and other
school employees need to become
aware of the signs of abuse. However,
one indication is usually not enough; a
cluster of symptoms needs to be
observed before a report is made.
Dated, written observations of
concerns for a child are extremely
helpful when reporting.
General indicators that a child may be
abused or neglected are early arrival at
school and/or requests to stay late, poor
impulse control, extreme sadness,
r i g i d i t y, s l e e p i n e s s , a n d / o r
destructiveness toward self, others or
animals. These children often seem
unable to trust others or to concentrate.
Distinct changes in behavior, character
and/or school performance are also
signs of possible abuse.
Abusive parents or caregivers tend to
A smile can induce so many positive
emotions that it is the equivalent
feeling of receiving £16 000 in cash.
Smiling results in the production of
endorphins, or happy hormones,
just like exercise does. This also
creates a full on positivity spiral.
Basically, when you smile you tell
your brain it feels good, and when
your brain feels good it tells you to
smile even more.
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simple things which will help.
The great news is that
smiling can also be re-
learnt so that you are
able to produce more
genuine smiles more
often in your day.
smile as well as your mirror neurones in
the brain will want to reciprocate the
same gesture. Numerous pieces of
research have shown that it’s very
unlikely you’ll be able to keep a sad or
grumpy face if you’re looking at people
who are sharing their genuine smiles
with you.
Isn’t that enough to make a case for
smiling? I think so! The great news is
that smiling can also be re-learnt so that
you are able to produce more genuine
smiles more often in your day. The
more you do it, the more natural it will
become, and the happier you will feel,
and the more positive vibes you will
send around you.
Smiling will change the world
So how do you practice smiling? The
key is getting started. Below are three
Smiling brings numerous health
benefits, such as reducing your
anxiety, lowering blood pressure, and
lowering your heart rate. Research
has suggested smiling reduces your
bodily and mental stress like a good
night’s sleep does.
Children smile 400 times a day on
average, making you often feel
happier around children. Happy
adults smile 40-50 times a day, but on
average most of us smile only 20
times.
Smiling is contagious! Seeing
someone smile will make you want to The big smile of Michelle Obama
Think of someone you love and you
can feel a genuine smile come through.
You could reminisce about a happy
experience you had together to get the
good vibes going.
Practice smiling in front of a mirror.
This might sound silly but the more
comfortable you become with your
smile and the act of smiling, the easier
and more natural it becomes. This is
where your eyes play a big part as in a
genuine smile, also known as the
Duchenne Smile, you also smile with
your eyes as the muscles around your
eyes are activated. Practice smiling with
a paper on front of your mouth and
you’ll learn the difference. Try smiling
only with your eyes and you’ll learn to
feel the difference between a fake and a
genuine smile.
Find little things to smile about, be it
to the person who hands you your
Starbucks coffee or enjoying the feeling
of a nice, warm shower. Every time you
feel grateful about something or thank
someone, allow yourself to smile.
With practice you’ll notice how
smiling will start to affect you and those
around you positively. Learn to smile
before you write an email, or pick up
the phone, and you will find people
can sense that smile right away. So
start spreading that positivity right
away!
Now I would love to hear from
you. What helps you smile, or feel
more comfortable about smiling?
Comment below with your thoughts,
the other Happyologist readers
would appreciate your insights and
experiences!
If you enjoyed this post, please like
it, tweet it, pin it, share it – and spread
those smiles around! You might also
enjoy my previous post on 5 quotes
on the power of smiles. Remember
to sign-up to my free weekly
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coaching, workshops & talks, as well
as extra tips on happiness!
By Susan
Educare November 2019