Smiling
Homework #3
Smiling also makes people feel better, either about themselves or about life in general. Roy Gutman uses Charles Darwin’s facial feedback response theory, which states that the act of smiling in itself makes the smiling person feel better, and smiling is not as a result of feeling good.
Smiling also stimulates the brain reward mechanism in a way that even chocolate cannot match. Chocolate is known to be a well-regarded pleasure inducer. However, research by the Britons stated that a single smile could generate the same level of brain stimulation as up to 2,000 chocolate bars.
Smiling more makes people healthier, unlike chocolate. Smiling helps in the reduction of stress-inducing hormones such as adrenaline, cortisol, and dopamine. However, smiling increases the levels of mood-enhancing hormones such as endorphins and reduces overall blood pressure.
Smiling makes people look good in the eyes of others. A study by Penn State University argues that when someone smiles, the person does not only appear to be more courteous and likable, but it also makes the person appear more competent.
Discussion #3
The presentation by Ron Gutman on the hidden power of smiling is relevant and very informative to me, especially on his last point where he states that smiling can make an individual look good in the eyes of others. Furthermore, smiling helps an individual to look more competent. This information would help me during class presentations and interviews when the time for job hunting comes, and even in my daily interactions with people.
I tend to smile back at people who smile towards me. Ron Gutman states in his presentation that research at Uppsala University in Sweden about smiling found that it is difficult for someone to frown when people who smile surround him or her. Whenever I feel stressed or going through a difficult time, my aunt is the go-to person because of how she makes situations look simple. The first approach my aunt uses is that she smiles at me, and I smile back. She recently told me that she smiles first so that I can feel safe, happy, and feel good.
Most people argue that there is a difference in the stimulation of smiles and laughter in males and females. The argument proves that women are more attractive when they smile, whereas men are more attractive if they have a brooding and a mysterious facial expression as opposed to men who smile a lot. The argument states that men who smile a lot are open to manipulation and influence. In contrast, men who appear to be broody show a lot of masculinity and can be less manipulated. I strongly disagree with this argument because, as a lady, someone who does not smile a lot can be a turn-off. Furthermore, I agree with Ron Gutman’s presentation, where he states that smiling is an international form of expression. Therefore, the perception of smiling does not vary per gender, but it varies individually.
Homework #4
In the presentation by Maryam Elassar, she tries to tell her audience that to unify the people of the world, we need to focus more on our similarities than our differences. Elassar maintains that world peace can be achieved if only people could fight ignorance with knowledge. Maryam further argues that her generation can live in a more peaceful world if only people can pass positive messages to one another.
In his Ted Talk presentation, Cole Blakeway asserts that it is crucial for people to be themselves because it is okay to be different. Cole Blakeway gives an example of his best friend, Stephen, who has autism. In his speech, Cole states that Stephen makes everyone around him smile even with his autistic condition. Cole finishes by saying that some conditions are good the way they are, and they do not need any fixing because they are not broken.
Discussion #4
Being an immigrant in the United States of America comes with many challenges because of racism in some places and how immigrants are usually treated as weird people who do not deserve to be living in the United States of America. I grew up seeing people of my race being discriminated against because they were different from the majority. When I was in kindergarten, my classmates used to make fun of me of how I dressed and how heavy my accent was. The Muslim religion requires that as a girl, I should cover myself up, and only my face should be visible, and just by seeing my dressing, my classmates perceived me to be weird. The situation becomes harder whenever there is a reported terror attack because my classmates would generalize me to be a terrorist. Unfortunately, my parents transferred me to another school before I could let my classmates understand the beauty and the peace that Islam preaches.
Most citizens living in the United States perceive the Muslim people as a threat to security and that all immigrants should be sent back to where they came from. Society stereotypes Muslims because of past terror attacks where most of the terrorists are Muslim, but people refuse to understand that not all Muslims are terrorists. I wish society would stop generalizing people based on the act of a single person instead treat people for who they are and the values people hold. The idea of viewing Muslims as threats to national security even by the president only amounts to racism. If people could take time and learn about different cultures, they would appreciate more than criticize.