Talking to yourself.

WSJ

Inc

Annie Murphy Paul

Three articles but they basically are about the same thing, talking to oneself.  We all have self-talk, whether it's inside our heads or out loud or a combination of the two, but how you refer to yourself, it turns out, is important.

"The way you address yourself matters, too. Research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology in February found people who spoke to themselves as another person would—using their own name or the pronoun "you"—performed better under stress than people who used the word "I."

Referring to yourself in the as if you are a friend, using you or your name makes you feel less anxious and less stressed when performing a difficult task.  

I find it fascinating, what do you think?  

Okay, this one is pretty interesting.

Botox, the botulism toxin that the inject into your face to paralyze your muscles so you won't have frown line wrinkles, makes you feel happier because it makes you unable to frown and facial muscles influence brain activity.

Time Magazine Wipe Away That Frown.

If you keep reading to the bottom of the article, it gets even more odd.

"But Lewis says he favors the theory that facial muscles influence brain activity directly and points to earlier research that suggests such a neurological link. For example, studies have shown that subjects find comedy routines significantly funnier when they hold a pen between their teeth the way a dog holds a bone, a pose that stimulates the muscles used for smiling. Similarly, subjects laugh less when holding a pen between their lips, a pose that mimics frowning."

He looks pretty happy here, doesn't he?  

NY Times - Get Botox!

Let me sum up.

On this blog, so far, we have explored the science behind many different ways to improve your mood.  We've looked at how doing things for others can make you feel better, how practicing an attitude of gratitude can also help.  Those are the things you have heard of.  Some of the things that I am learning while researching and writing this blog and trying to hold on tightly to my own joy (and sanity) are just plain fascinating and frankly, kind of weird.

Here are some of the ways in a handy, printable form.  Hang this up someplace, use it as a background on your phone or tablet, do some of these things.  Honestly, I think the yogurt, which is the only one I have been doing consistently, may have saved my life this week.  Seriously, try to do them everyday!  Here they are.

Showering?

Okay, this is a weird one to me.  To reduce depression, take a cold shower.  Really.  It's backed up by research, found here.   Here's an excerpt:    Exposure to cold is known to activate the sympathetic nervous system and increase the blood level of beta-endorphin and noradrenaline and to increase synaptic release of noradrenaline in the brain as well. Additionally, due to the high density of cold receptors in the skin, a cold shower is expected to send an overwhelming amount of electrical impulses from peripheral nerve endings to the brain, which could result in an anti-depressive effect.

To see other benefits of cold showers (besides the one you always hear about) read this article.  

While you're in there, might as well belt out some show tunes, since singing show tunes helps prevent dementia