Dr. Bruce Lipton, PhD, is a research scientist, cell biologist, and global speaker on the subject of the cellular metabolism and cell consciousness and beliefs, and is author of
“The Biology of Belief.” Dr. Lipton obtained his PhD. from the University of Virginia then taught Histology, Cell Biology, and Embryology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Anatomy Department. Lipton went on to study quantum physics and was also a research scientist at Stanford University School of Medicine. Lipton’s published papers on epigenetics pioneered the work proving that environmental nature and nurturing affects the genes and alters their structure.
Dr. Lipton first became a cell biologist when he saw live cells under a microscope in the second grade. In an undergraduate program at the University of Virginia, his studies included cellular biology and electron microscopy. He also pioneered the work in stem cell research in 1967, which has been in the news headlines only in the past few years.
One of the most important aspects of smiling is the biochemistry it creates and the change in the actual genetic structureof our cells. As far back as 30 years ago, Dr.
Lipton found out that the environment in which cells were put affected the genetic structure; that environment can also include emotions and physiology or muscle
structure. That’s where smiling comes in. He found that it was the environment and the nurturing of the cells that affected the genetic structure and not just the genes alone.
The main focus of epigenetics was the delegation of the proof that environment and nature and nurturing affected the genetic structure of the cell. The information was based on that rather than genetic structure and genetics was nothing more than reproductive element in a cell.
So Dr. Lipton’s insights into the value of smiling are quite unique considering his pioneering background and his personal clarity and his insights regarding other factors that change our RNA and DNA structures. Lipton’s work is with the brain of the cell, which is what we’re talking about altering, as we alter consciousness by smiling and facial structure.
This dramatically affects every one of the 50 trillion cells in the body, an amazing quantity of consciousness since each cell is an individualized bio-computer that works the same way as the human brain. Therefore, studying cell brains helped Lipton to bring about theories that related to the fact that the brain of the cell acts and operates in much the same way as the human brain. By studying one you can realize the results in
another.
A cell’s expression and health is a reflection of the environment it is in, not just the biochemical environment, but also the emotional and physical environment that includes the smile on the face and the biochemical, bioelectrical result of smiling on each of the 50 trillion cells in the body.
Thus, you can see that smiling infers an effect upon 50 trillion cells. By maintaining an environment as positive and supportive, especially as loving and nurturing, the cell will adjust its biology to conform its mechanisms, systems, and entire life force to survive in that environment.
If it is a positive, nurturing, and supportive environment full of smiles, the effect is much more beneficial than a negative effect, with frowning and arguing.
Indeed, smiling is a key factor here. Dr. Lipton goes on to say, “Both the human, the total human of 50 trillion cells, and each one of the 50 trillion cells adjusts its biology and its consciousness to environmental stimuli good or bad, and will change its genetics and its biochemistry as the whole of 50 trillion cells and also every cell will adjust, and therefore a smile has a dramatic effect upon the belief system of the cell and the whole body. Dr.
Lipton says the perception of a smile is a very important environmental signal that stimulates the physiology to a new system that is now called by scientists, “Mirror
Neurons.” Through these mirror neurons we respond and mirror and automatically mimic activities we see outside of ourselves. We can mimic the activity of anything in our environment.
Thus, when someone smiles at you and you smile back, that is a form of mimicking and mirroring, which gives you back a form of immediate response. Mirroring neurons are very, very important to understand. Don’t underestimate the value of its function in helping you to learn new protocols and ways to act and ways to respond, especially to challenging situations in your life.
Mirrored neurons are actually recognized to be specific neurons in the brain. They are there to allow you to learn a new activity or procedure without having to go through reading a book about how to do it. We simply mirror it by looking at it, and then reproduce the same activity in our own physiology and yes, belief systems.
This is where the real magic comes in. These “mirror neurons” allow the actual brain to stage the activity that you are copying in your mind and copy the activity you want to reproduce on these neurons, like your mental hard drive, simply by looking at somebody;
then, those mirror neurons and the brain tell the physiology, your body, your muscles, how to do the activity, thus “monkey see, monkey do.”
If I see you doing an activity, my mirror neurons in my brain copy your activity and then tell the muscles how to achieve it. It is a very complex, evolved, and amazing system of learning by seeing and then copying.
Thus, we were told in life by many neuro-linguistic programming people and others that we can mirror other people’s activities and copy the physiology of anything that anyone has done and accomplish the same physical acts and other accomplishments simply by copying what we see. It sounds simple, and it is in a sense, so that we can learn new activities and procedures in a quick and simple way. Mirror neurons allow us to see a smile and respond with a smile.
In these studies at various universities and in clinical research, Dr. Lipton says,
“Monkeys were wired to watch other monkeys performing certain activities. When monkeys were allowed to watch the activity of other monkeys performing certain motor response activities with the muscles, that is, performing certain functions and acts in the physical body, the observing monkeys that were not actually performing the act could then stimulate the same mirror neurons in their brain that were demonstrated by brain scans and perform the same activities simply by watching, mimicking, mirroring.
Again, monkey see, monkey do.
But it is a complex situation that allows them to see an activity, and then not have their muscles mimic it, but their actual mirror neurons, which then tell the biochemistry and the muscles of the body how to copy it. Simple, immediate, but very complex and that’s what we do in life, that’s why we smile at somebody. It spreads a beneficial smiling virus.
You smile at another, they see that it’s good, it makes you feel good, they see that you feel good, and you see that they feel good. You spread this beneficial good feeling euphoric smile around the world, hopefully so that everybody interprets life as being positive rather than negative and destructive, in which situation, the body would produce poisonous chemicals or negative biochemistry simply by perceiving that a person got depressed by frowning.
Dr. Lipton has studied extensively peri and pre-natal birth procedures with children. He is well acquainted with the work of the Peri and Pre-Natal Birth Association of which Dr.
David Chamberlain is a member.
The baby is tuned in intimately and very responsively to the face of the mother and the father. Therefore, the facial muscles of the mother and father convey an enormous amount of information, if not the most amount of information to the baby about that which it needs to learn about its environment, its actions, and the information that the parents are conditioning the child to. Thus, smiling at birth and the response of the mother smiling back, and the father, have a dramatic effect on the baby, and also so do the babies activities ask the parents to give a beneficial response to the baby’s perception of the world.
Thus, a smile from the mother at birth gives the child a definite response and the mirror neurons in the child of a newborn baby can actually smile back. Thus, it is a universal language, actually starting at birth. Thus the actual fact with the baby is that the face or the smile of the parent will allow the baby to see directly if the environment is safe for them. A look of concern, or doubt or fear on the face of the parent will be conveyed immediately to the baby who will pull back rather than gladly go forward with an activity simply by the facial muscles of the parent.
And of course again, a smile equals YES! That’s wonderful. That actually gives a newborn baby a lot of information, just from the smile alone. It seems so simple, but it is so complex, and so informative. Thus, very early in life, as early as birth, we tend to connect the fact that safety and good feelings are connected to this smile. We find that a smile indicates safety and good will of the caretakers, the parents.
You see how important this is? It is one of the first things a child should see at birth to develop a healthy attitude. A smile says, “Yes!” We will protect you in the world.” And it
says that, as the child grows older, even into adulthood. A smile says to those around you, “I will nurture you, and take care of you.” “You needn’t be afraid of me.” And that leads to beneficial biochemistry in the cells, all 50 trillion of them.
Dr. Lipton explains the science behind this. When we smile, we generate a neuro pathway in the brain, and that neuro pathway that creates the smile plays itself out, and the mirrored neurons that plan the physical consequences of a smile will observe another person smiling, your friend, a new acquaintance, or your parents, and the mirrored neurons will play the same neuro pathway and allow a smile to come back.
That’s why it’s so easy that the good feeling of a smile is reciprocated immediately on the face of the person you smile at. It’s almost automatic, that the good feeling of a smile is healthily responded to in such quick manner. I smile at you, and you smile at me. See what a universal language this is? Thus, a smile to me gives me the same physiological consequences as if I were smiling myself.
A smile of somebody feeling happy, or choosing to feel happy, or interpreting life in a positive way, will stimulate me to feel good, and then I will mirror those neurons in the brain, and give off the same painkillers, and the same feeling of joy and elation that a smile gives anyone.
Thus, the smiling virus spreads around the world, and heals everyone. Dr. Lipton says,
“In truth, a smile would be contagious, like a virus.” If I observe a smile in another, it will bring about a response in me, another smile. And thus it spreads down the line, the mirror neurons that are activated in me from seeing a smile will activate mine, and then my smile will activate the mirror neurons in another and so on and so on. You see the power of a smile to spread around the world, quickly, and a most wonderful and magical way. What else could equal a smile, Dr. Lipton says? Dr. Lipton says, “That these mirror neurons not only mimic the physiology of smiling and the biochemistry of the cells in the body, but also mimic the neuro pathways, the way of thinking and the way the emotions work. Thus, this is part of the actual mechanics and physics of how a smile can carry on the good feeling that only a smile can.”
Dr. Lipton says that there are two fundamental states of the body and the cells, either growth or protection. He says the two do not really coexist together. If you’re afraid, and there’s fear and frowning, you pull back. This even applies to unicellular organisms. But if you see a smile, you’re willing to expand and learn and grow. Thus, physical growth itself and expansion of brain matter, learning and a healthy body are limited by lack of smiling.
Isn’t that incredible?
Dr. Lipton says that environments that are supportive and self sustaining, such as those of a smile, will signal the system that it’s okay to indulge in growth rather than pulling back from growth or learning out of fear. This is the off/on switch that a smile can turn on and frowning and fearful expressions on the face turn people more to the fear, or the flight or fight response, at which point you do not grow, you do not learn, but you act as wanting to fight or flee from a dangerous situation, which a frown or a fearful expression usually conveys. Thus, smiling also creates a state in which enables learning, growth, and expansion, and optimal mind, body, abd spirit can actually exist.
In contrast, in negative facial expressions of fear, anger or disgust which signal the body to go into a state of retreat and create neuro- hormones like cortisol, which allow the body to react quickly.
It does everything from shut down the digestion and even rational thinking, as it is prepared for danger. Many of these neuro-hormones like cortisol are extremely destructive and cause the body to age, and create actual toxic substances within the neuro physiology and the general biochemistry of the body.
Throughout history it didn’t take science, biochemistry and cellular biology to know that a smile created beneficial results, bonding, social attraction and other elements.
It didn’t take biochemistry, neuro anatomy, or any other aspect to know that a smile is good. It creates a positive environment to grow in, to learn in, and to actually turn off the negative bio-chemicals and hormones that are given off by a negative state of anger, or condemnation, or fear. Thus smiling creates beneficial hormones, and beneficial states of mind, body, and spirit, all in one thing. The ancients knew this. And now science is actually proving and rediscovering it through people like Dr. Lipton.
I personally say we can use this globally, through pictures on the internet, and
photographs of people smiling to remind each other, that most of the news in the world, is good news, we just never hear about the millions of incidents every day of people smiling and helping each other to lead a more optimum life. It can also be used in my opinion, as the author for peace negations and diplomacy. To say, “It’s okay to work with us. We have an authentic smile,” and that allows us to both to proceed towards a win-win solution in peace negotiations.
Think of the trillions of dollars we spend on war and destruction could all be avoided by smiling more and spreading that to every person in every country in the world who would send back the smiling virus and say, “We’re your friends.” We don’t need to have war and waste our manpower and our budgets on global warfare. THINK ABOUT IT.
How does this occur? By seeing your mirror neurons or another person seeing you smiling, it assures them that the environment is safe to grow and to learn and to expand in, rather than contract and run away in a fight or flight defensive mode. “You cannot have both,” Dr. Lipton says. “You’re either growing and learning and expanding, or you’re contracting, running away from and fearing.” A smile sets the stage for the environment of a supportive nurturing atmosphere to say it’s okay to relax, expand, stretch and learn.
All research into subliminal learning, unconscious learning, and conscious learning suggests that relaxation, feeling good and a non-fight or flight attitude allows one to learn exponentially faster, much faster, than if one is in a negative, restrictive, fearful, angry environment. A smile can do it all in one simple twist.
Dr. Lipton says, “Of course, if you smile, and it is contagious, and it is, because of the biology behind it, then smiling really is a necessary exercise in life, essential actually.
Almost like a self –medication, for you and those around you, and if you can feed that back into the system by noticing that you feel better when you smile, on all levels, for many reasons, and those around you feel better and want to repeat the smile because it is a feel good medication, then it becomes a self-reinforced habit.
By feeling good you smile more, and by smiling more you feel better, and by feeling better, you feel good, and everybody says, I want that too. And so they smile back automatically through their mirror neurons, thus, smiling creates a self-generating cascade, an exponential expansion of good feeling around the world.”
Dr. Lipton says it this way, “The repetitious pattern you use of smiling repeatedly and reinforcing it will be the one you actually run off of, almost like running a smiling soft-ward in your brain, in your body, and in all 50 trillion cells.
Therefore, it’s self-reinforcing and it’s an automatic response. You automatically smile rather than think about it. Thus, it becomes automatic to smile.”
This is in contrast to what most people are conditioned to do. They wake up in the morning, not with a smile on their face, but with a concern that it will be a seriously challenging or negatively eventful day, like “what will I have to face today?”
Where as those who wake up smiling, think and feel differently. As powerful as it may seem, if you wake up smiling, it probably won’t matter what you face, because you’ll interpret it positively, no matter what, and that will help you through positive psychology, and optimism and smiling, to not only face the day in a more optimistic, resourceful way, but to have the biochemistry to be stronger to have the brain work optimally, and
therefore the emotions, too.
Smiling can do all of this. Maybe because it’s so simple and automatic that we thought it wasn’t a miracle, but now you see that it is, and that research proves that every one of
Smiling can do all of this. Maybe because it’s so simple and automatic that we thought it wasn’t a miracle, but now you see that it is, and that research proves that every one of