“Peace begins with a smile.”
- Mother Teresa
Using brain scans and heart monitors researchers in Britain were able to assess the value of a smile. They found that:
“Participants who were shown a child’s smile experienced the same level of stimulation as they would have had from eating 2,000 chocolate bars or receiving £16,000 in cash.” (Quote from: The Scotsman)
While the study size was quite small, only 109 volunteers, the results indicate that being smiled at changes the brain chemistry of the person receiving the smile.
The smile of a loved one and a friend were less stimulating than the child – equivalent to only 600 and 200 chocolate bars respectively.
The good news? Smiling is free and easy to do. If you need to up your smile quotient – hang around kids. They’re the masters of smiling and laughing.
(People love watching kids laugh. Only 188 million views for the video above!)
Photo Credits: Sean Jackson via Flickr
Pingback: Peace Quote from Mother Teresa « dailyinspiredquotes