Smile



Smile


Pop quiz: How many muscles does it take to smile?

There are 43 muscles in the face, most of which are controlled by the facial nerve. This nerve begins in the cerebral cortex (that mass of gray filling the cap of your brain) and wraps around your cheek and chin. So, your smile is quite a brainy item! 

Because the nerve is directly connected to the brain, it's no wonder a smile is such a no-brainer. What I mean is, I've heard you can "trick" your brain into thinking you're happy just by grinning, genuine or not. This makes total sense to me: all those muscles and nerves send signals to the brain which help it decide how you are feeling. So our facial expressions truly affect our well being. Literally, the more smiles, the merrier–for us and the people around us. 

But I wonder...is a half-smile enough? Is your brain happy with half, or does it need the whole to be convinced? I've been at half-mast for so long that I wonder what a full smile will feel like. I never would have thought about it if it weren't for my facial paralysis and coaxing my smile slowly back over the last 2 years. Never would I have imagined to lose such an integral feature and only begin to understand what it means in the process of gaining it back.

A spark of excitement shivers through me every time I share my smile with the mirror. Gosh, I am so close...the edge wants to be there, stretching up as the muscles begin to work under my conscious guidance. It's amazing how much will power and concentration can do. I've never felt this powerful before, and we're just talking about a micro-muscles.

So, to answer the original question, we don't know. We use a complex combination of muscles to smile–not just around the mouth, but also in our upper cheeks, our eyes, our forehead...even our ears. Everyone uses the combination of these movements different ways, which is why we are all unique. So, people have some facial muscles more developed than others because of the way they use them.

Regardless, I can't wait to dazzle you someday soon. I feel that my smile is at the threshold of its splendor again. :-)


Photo:Foto di <a href="https://pixabay.com/it/users/eirym-1045424/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=837661">Marta Carrassi</a> da <a href="https://pixabay.com/it//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=837661">Pixabay</a>


Text: Kristen Mastromarchi

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