I love TED talks. Even the simple things are more interesting. If you want to read the entire synthesis of Ron Gutman's research on smiling, TEDBooks is releasing Smile: The Astonishing Powers of a Simple Act — a short Kindle book, in which Gutman expands on this talk to examine the last 200 years of science on smiling, facial mimicry and mirror neurons, the tell-tell signs of fake smiles vs. authentic smiles, and even how smiling affects our longevity.
"Lots of smiling can actually make you healthier. Smiling can help reduce the level of stress-enhancing hormones like cortisol, adrenaline and dopamine, increase the level of mood-enhancing hormones like endorphin and reduce overall blood pressure.”
