The hidden power of smiling | Ron Gutman

Summary

This inspiring talk explores the power of smiling, revealing it as a natural superpower. From longitudinal studies predicting life success and well-being through smiles, to research showing smiles' impact on health and longevity, the speaker demonstrates how smiling is not just an expression of joy but also a catalyst for personal and communal happiness. The contagious nature of smiles, their evolutionary significance, and the physical benefits they provide make a compelling case for embracing this simple act to enhance life quality.

Takeaways

• 🌟 The speaker's childhood dream was to be a superhero with superpowers to save the world and make everyone happy.
• 🔍 They initially sought superpowers through imaginary journeys and science fiction, but later turned to real science for answers.
• 📚 A UC Berkeley study found that the way students smiled in their yearbook photos could predict the success and well-being of their future lives.
• 😁 Smiling is a universal human expression, even observed in babies and across different cultures, including the Fore tribe in Papua New Guinea.
• 👶 Babies are born with the ability to smile, and even blind babies smile in response to the sound of the human voice.
• 😊 The contagious nature of smiles is supported by research showing that it's difficult to frown when looking at someone who is smiling.
• 🧬 Charles Darwin's facial feedback response theory suggests that the act of smiling can actually make us feel better, not just a result of feeling good.
• 🧠 Smiling stimulates the brain's reward mechanism, with studies suggesting it can be as pleasurable as eating chocolate or receiving a large sum of money.
• 💪 Smiling can have health benefits, reducing stress hormones and increasing mood-enhancing hormones, and even lowering blood pressure.
• 🏆 Smiling not only makes you appear more likable and courteous but also more competent, according to a study by Penn State University.
• 💡 The speaker concludes that smiling is a superpower that can lead to a longer, healthier, and happier life.

Q & A

What was the speaker's childhood dream and how did they initially try to achieve it?

The speaker's childhood dream was to become a superhero and save the world. They initially tried to achieve this by embarking on imaginary journeys to find intergalactic objects from planet Krypton.

What did the speaker discover about the correlation between smiles and life outcomes in a UC Berkeley study?

In the UC Berkeley study, researchers found that by measuring the students' smiles from yearbook photos, they could predict the success and well-being of their marriages, their scores on standardized tests of well-being, and how inspiring they would be to others.

What surprising discovery was made about the lifespan of Major League baseball players based on their smiles in pre-1950s baseball cards?

The Wayne State University research project found that the span of a player's smile in their baseball card photo could predict their lifespan. Players who didn't smile lived an average of 72.9 years, while those with beaming smiles lived almost 80 years on average.

How do babies demonstrate the universality of smiling even before birth?

Using 3D ultrasound technology, it has been observed that developing babies appear to smile even in the womb, indicating that smiling is a fundamental human expression.

What did the speaker learn about the contagious nature of smiling from a study at Uppsala University in Sweden?

The Uppsala University study found that it's very difficult to frown when looking at someone who smiles because smiling is evolutionarily contagious and it suppresses the control we usually have on our facial muscles.

How does mimicking a smile help us understand the emotional state of the person who is smiling?

Mimicking a smile and experiencing it physically helps us discern whether the smile is genuine or fake, allowing us to better understand the emotional state of the person smiling.

What did the University of Clermont-Ferrand study in France reveal about the ability to judge genuine smiles when the facial muscles are suppressed?

The study showed that when subjects held a pencil in their mouths to suppress their smiling muscles, their ability to judge whether a smile was real or fake was impaired, indicating the importance of facial mimicry in understanding smiles.

What is the facial feedback response theory proposed by Charles Darwin, and how does it relate to smiling?

The facial feedback response theory by Charles Darwin suggests that the act of smiling itself makes us feel better, rather than being merely a result of feeling good.

How does smiling stimulate the brain's reward mechanism according to a British study?

The British study found that one smile can generate the same level of brain stimulation as up to 2,000 bars of chocolate, indicating that smiling is a powerful activator of the brain's reward system.

What are the health benefits of smiling as discussed in the script?

Smiling can help reduce the levels of stress-enhancing hormones like cortisol, adrenaline, and dopamine, increase the levels of mood-enhancing hormones like endorphins, and reduce overall blood pressure.

How does smiling impact one's appearance and perception by others according to a study at Penn State University?

The study at Penn State University found that smiling not only makes a person appear more likable and courteous but also more competent.