Duchenne Smiles at Brookhaven Retreat

By Donita B.
The Crows-feet of genuine joy and satisfaction flash with involuntary
sparks of true beauty in the eyes of the ladies at Brookhaven Retreat.
Whether the broad infectious smiles that resonate through a group of
satisfied ladies having just mastered a challenge on the ropes course or the
sweet twinkling of an unguarded smile from a grateful lady being watched
over while she tries to fall asleepto the escape of the unexpected and
radiant giggle stunningly bubbling forth at the humor within her
communityMother Teresa said it best, I will never understand all the
good that a simple smile can accomplish.
No single action of the human body has been studied more than the smile. In
fact, studies show that there are possibly 50 types of smiles that can be
divided into just two categories: the genuine (Duchenne smile) and the fake
(Pan American smile). The genuine smile is named after the French
physician Guillaume Duchenne, who studied the physiology of facial
expressions in the nineteenth century. He writes, The Zygomaticus major
can be willed into action, but that only the sweet emotion of the soul force
the orbicularis oculi to contract. Its inertia in smiling unmasks a false
friend. Why? Because the Duchenne smile involves the Orbicularis oculi
muscle, which is the involuntary muscle that surrounds the eyes. It is the
only muscle capable of closing the eyelid, but when the genuine feelings of
joy and satisfaction occur the Zygomaticus major muscles and the
Orbicularis oculi muscles work together to create the tiny skin folds we call
crows feet
According to Anne Warwicks Seven Reasons to Smile, written in 2012,
smiling is innate and natural, smiling tells it all, smiling makes you happy,
smiling makes others happy, smiling is contagious, smiling makes you
attractive and smiling is good for your health. It is fascinating to consider
that smiling actually suppresses the control we usually have on our facial
muscles. She challenges the reader to attempt both smiling and frowning at
the same time. The ladies at Brookhaven Retreat work hard to tease apart,
understand and release the depression, addiction and traumas in their lives,
and their breakthroughs continually pierce our hearts like Robin Hoods bow
with the unmistakable infectiousness of the Duchenne Smile. John Ray, a
naturalist in the nineteenth century wrote, Beauty is Power and a Smile is
Its Arrow.