______and the world _______ with you, ____ and you ____ alone.
You got it, I know you did. If not, think Louis Armstrong.
I use this phrase in a class I teach on the power of language. Phrases that some call memes get stuck in our heads. We don’t always have them at the tip of our tongues, but they’re in there coloring our world.
Here is a quick experiment.
Stop for a moment and take a breath. Check out what you are feeling right this minute.
Now smile. Smile big. Grin like the Cheshire cat.
Do you notice a change in feeling leaning toward the positive. My guess is yes.
A study reported at an Amsterdam University, reported by Science Daily takes it even further. When subjects read positive ‘action’ words – to laugh; funny; to laugh and others – the “smile muscles” in their faces activated. In this study, it did not seem to work when the words were just seen, they had to be read (I am assuming they menat) aloud.
Such a quick and easy brain exercise!
Another experiment demonstrated a rise in mood after subjects were subliminally shown similar action words after being shown a cartoon, they tended to rate the cartoon as being funnier. On the other hand, in a control group instructed tohold a pen in their teeth (which kept them from smiling) the ratings were more neutral.
The results showed that reading action verbs activated the corresponding muscles. For example, “to laugh” resulted in activation of the zygomatic major muscle, but did not cause any response in the muscles responsible for frowning. Interestingly, when presented with the emotion adjectives like “funny” or “frustrating” the volunteers demonstrated much lower muscle activation compared to their reactions to emotion verbs. The researchers note that muscle activity is “induced in the reader when reading verbs representing facial expressions of emotion.”via Smile As You Read This: Language That Puts You In Touch With Your Bodily Feelings.
So, smile. It’ll get you two things. First, you’ll feel a little better. Second, everyone will wonder what the hell you’re up to. You might even be a little more mentally flexible,
mk
