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discovered that in mixed martial arts the fighter who smiles less during the weighin is more |
likely to win the match However the researchers in both cases were indiscriminate about the |
type of smile they looked forthey didnt distinguish between healthy assertive smiles and |
sheepish startled submissive ones An assertive optimal smile is highly attractive and would |
likely predict victory in a fight Smiling indicates social weakness only if the smiling muscles are |
strained and if smiling automatically recruits distressed breathing Retraining your smile by |
pairing it with diaphragmatic breathing will make it so that your smile does not drain you but is |
instead effortless and empowering |
Smile Exercises |
When was a very young child my grandmother told my mother that she was concerned about |
me because she could not perceive any joy in my smile Some early experiences had caused me |
to pair smiling with shallow breathing and my smile always appeared puny melancholy and |
forced Chimps from the same group will show great variation in their capacity for smiling |
Some smile feebly and yet other demonstrate gingival smiles showing their gums In my |
twenties started working toward that healthy smile decided to spend time smiling intensely |
to build up my smiling muscles would go on long walks or watch entire movies smiling widely |
the whole time Most of the time was also squinting and breathing shallowly but even so |
achieved noticeable results within a few weeks After ten cumulative hours of smiling widely |
my face looked bigger and stronger my cheeks were more muscular and my smile was more |
believable |
Two close friends on separate occasions commented on the increased size of my smile |
Then they told me to smile more widely still When tried they each said No smile up |
higher couldnt They made a disappointed face and dropped the subject They were |
disappointed because even though was able to build lower sections of my smiling muscles the |
section closest to the tendon that anchors into the cheekbone the section with the biggest |
potential for growth had not grown This higher section where the zygomatic muscle attaches |
to the cheek didnt respond to the exercise because it was dormant After diligently practicing |
the facial massage Exercise from the last chapter was able to smile up into my |
cheekbones The before and after pictures below illustrate the difference |
PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body |
Figure A My smile at age looks sour and unsustainable have rings under my eyes thick lower eyelids |
upturned nostrils deep marionette lines heavy sneering and the bulk of the smile is located around my nose |
rather than on my cheekbones B By each of those patterns has been reversed The change resulted from |
gradually massaging away the tension and pain and strengthening the smiling muscles using firm contractions and |
deep breathing |
The massage of your zygomatic muscles described in Chapter is complemented by the |
following musclebuilding exercise |
Smiling Exercise Smiling Big with Calm Breathing |
Smile as widely as you can Keep your face expressionless beyond the contractions involved in smiling |
and carefully check that you arent squinting or raising your eyebrows There should be no hint of |
apology or embarrassment in your smile Practice paced breathing throughout the exercise noting |
when the smile makes you want to breathe shallowly You should notice that at first smiling big |
practically takes your breath away Also notice how as you impose diaphragmatic breathing over the |
smile for several minutes you can relax into a larger and larger smile |
You should feel your smiling muscles quiver and falter but if you can smile through this it will |
become more enduring and invariable This will tone enlarge and strengthen the muscles and help |
them contract effortlessly without provoking your sympathetic nervous system When your muscles |
reach exhaustion and start to burn allow them to rest for at least a minute In addition massaging |
them after they reach exhaustion is a great way to stimulate regeneration recovery and growth |
Smiling as wide as could stretched my lips so much that they would become chapped or |
even crack after doing the exercise above Dont get discouraged by this Gentle smiling for |
a few minutes a day will stretch your lips back to their optimal length over a few weeks |
Smiling Activity Waxing and Waning a Smile |
A genuine smile grows gradually and evenly Sit in front of a mirror and practice growing a smile Start |
with a very small smile and expand it over for five to seconds until you have the biggest smile you |
can muster Then over the same period practice letting the smile fade until your expression is |
Chapter Strengthen and Tone Your Smile |
neutral again You will notice discontinuities where the expansion and relaxation jump in a jerky |
fashion Focus on ironing out those irregularities in the movement making the progression as smooth |
as possible Most people find a steady slowgrowing smile captivating |
Smiling Activity Variants of Diaphragmatic Smiling |
Normally every time we smile it follows the same inflexible pattern To vary the dynamics of your |
smile practice the following |
Smile as widely as you can with and without showing your teeth |
Smile with your teeth lightly clenched |
Smile with your top teeth visible and your bottom lip placed against them |
Smile with both sets of teeth fully revealed and your mouth slightly open |
Smile with both sets of teeth fully revealed and with your mouth wide open |
Smile while gradually squinting the eyes into a full squint then gradually release them to wide |
eyes Repeat |
Smile while slowly raising the eyebrows all the way then slowly lower them until they are |
fully relaxed Repeat |
Smile while chewing |
Smiling Exercise Smiling While Reading Out Loud |
Some people can smile comfortably while they talk but most cannot The ability to do it convincingly |
is so rare and so striking that its practically a superpower If you have not been acclimated it is very |
awkward Read a few pages of a book out loud while smiling Practice diaphragmatic breathing |
inhaling completely and reading aloud until you are out of breath The ability to smile while speaking |
is easily attained and improved in this way After a total of five hours of practice all your friends will |
notice the difference |
Smiling Activity Eye Contact with a Smile |
Sit in front of a mirror and use your reflection to model prolonged eye contact with another person |
Smile Keep your smile wide and your expression open It will feel incredibly goofy but only for the |
first few minutes |
You can also model the initiation of smiling eye contact To do this start by looking away at or above |
your eye line Make the calmest face you can and then look yourself in the eyes for a second while |
keeping your expression neutral Over the next few seconds gradually grow a heartfelt smile while |
continuing to make eye contact Hold both your gaze and your smile for several seconds Repeat |
After you have practiced this exercise in a mirror try it with a friend |
PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body |
Isolate Your Smile |
One of the rewards of maintaining a smile for several minutes while breathing |
diaphragmatically is the involuntary relaxation of muscles you dont need but that you normally |
tense up while smiling Within a minute or two youll feel the tension in muscles all around |
your face head and neck start to ease The process will gradually isolate your actual smile from |
the facial contortions that typically accompany it That isolation has significant benefits Usually |
some different muscles are involved in smiling when you stop smiling many of those |
muscles remain tense because the smile forced latent trigger points within them to become |
active This is part of why smiling causes many people to lose their composure quickly which |
can make them reluctant to smile at all |
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