Philippe Arnoux Photography

WHY DO WE SMILE ?

(blog extracts… Kgins)

Smiles are generally accepted as a universal facial expression of happiness or joy, defining happiness or pleasure as something we instinctually, consciously think we enjoy.
There are different types of smiles, grouped into two categories, “Duchenne smiles”, and “Pan American smiles”.
The “Duchenne smile”, named after researcher Guillaume Duchenne, involves the movement of the zygomaticus major muscle near the mouth, and the orbicularis oculi muscle near the eyes. It is believed that this smile can only be produced as a result of genuine positive emotion, making it involuntary.
By contrary, the “Pan American smile” involves only the zygomaticus muscle, and is entirely voluntary, being used more often used to show politeness or mask true emotion. This suggests a partial control we have over the kind of smile we show when it comes to realizing that we need to put a smile on our faces for social approval, but little control over smiling about things that genuinely make us happy.

Stroke victims can only smile Duchenne.

Eugen Sandow is in fact born Friederich Wilhelm Mueller on April 2 1867. He died on the 14th of October 1925… lovely day to die….

In an 1894 interview on his dietary habits, Sandow claimed to abstain from hard liquor, coffee and tea, but consumed the occasional beer. He ate mostly wholesome foods, but indulged at selected opportunities. He believed in doing what was necessary to facilitate good digestion, including eating at regular intervals, selecting simple foods, applying thorough mastication, eating slowly and tying it all together with a good night’s sleep. He was critical of over-indulgence and recommended foods with a high nutrient value, although he admitted to eating what he wanted, when he wanted, and however much he wanted during his younger years.

Bodybuilding was promoted by a man from Prussia (Germany) named Eugen Sandow, In the Oscar winning 1936 musical film The Great Ziegfeld Sandow began to display his body for carnivals. The role of Sandow was played by actor Nat Pendleton.
He was credited with inventing and selling the first exercise equipment for the masses Sandow was a strong advocate of “the Grecian Ideal”. Sandow organised the first bodybuilding contest on 14 September 1901 called the “Great Competition” and held in the Royal Albert Hall, London, UK. Judged by himself, Sir Charles Lawes, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the contest was a huge success and was sold out and hundreds of physical culture enthusiasts were turned away. The trophy presented to the winner was a bronze statue of Sandow himself sculpted by Frederick Pomeroy. The winner was William L. Murray of Nottingham, England. The most prestigious bodybuilding contest today is the Mr. Olympia, and since 1977, the winner has been presented with the same bronze statue of Sandow that he himself presented to the winner at the first contest.

Our shadow is closer to us than anything else

It makes us complete. Without a doubt.

Dark surprise, of sunny days

The word is from Latin origin, vanitas, meaning “emptiness”, and the word vanity became associated with meaninglessness of life, risible posturing, being vain, futile, worthless or useless.
“The vanity of others is only counter to our taste when it is counter to our vanity” says Friedrich Nietzsche (Beyond Good and Evil – 1886)
So, discussing further the subject with P., a dear friend addicted in esthetic surgery, we agreed that although vanity could be subject to negative impressions, it could also be a way of being, a way of being seen, a choice that is about confidence. “Absence of vanity is also vain” said P., “absence of vanity could also be vanity”. Then Lord Byron answered “All Is Vanity”.

Then let’s get an instant of vanity.