Have you ever noticed how flashes of joy seem to light up your face?
It’s not just in your imagination. There is scientific research behind how happiness can improve your complexion.
In this post, we explore how finding glimmers of joy throughout your day can make you look and feel more beautiful.
What are Glimmers?
According to the Newport Instituteflashes are “small moments of joy or peace that come from appreciating simple things like the colors of a rainbow, the scent of a flower, or the sound of rain.”
“USA Todaydescribes flashes as “the opposite of triggers,” stating that they are small moments that trigger joy or peace, “which can help our nervous system feel safe or calm.”
The term was first coined by Deb Dana, a licensed clinical social worker, in her 2018 book, The Theory of Polycolitis in Therapy. He described the flashes as “moments that start to shape our system in very subtle ways.”
The idea has become more popular lately, especially after a TikTok videos about glimmers gained more than 78,000 likes and hundreds of comments. Many mental health organizations have recently been promoting them as well, because they are considered the opposite of triggers.
While a trigger negatively affects your emotional state—often causing extreme overexertion or anxiety—a glow helps your system calm down.
Think about the little things you notice throughout your day that lift your mood. Maybe you spot a beautiful butterfly on your way to the office or catch a snippet of a song you love while eating lunch.
You’ll know it’s a glow when it sparks energy or happiness in your mind, body and spirit.
Photo by Surface via Unscrew.
Following the Glimpses: How Positive Emotions Affect Your Appearance
We can easily understand how flashes can affect us emotionally and mentally. But the results don’t stop there—they also extend to our skin.
This is because how you feel affects the condition of your skin. Scientists have discovered a clear link, for example, between psychological stress and skin reactions. They call it the “brain-skin connection” and note that the skin is both a direct perceiver of stress and a target of stress responses.
You know how it goes. You experience stress and your skin breaks out, reddens or becomes inflamed and swollen. During chronic periods of stress—when you’re under stress for several weeks or months—stress hormones can break down collagen and elastin in the skin, causing signs of premature aging.
Joy and happiness, on the other hand, positively affect the skin. They help calm your nervous system so it doesn’t have to release stress hormones. Inflammation is reduced, circulation is improved and the skin can repair itself better.
The Joy-Skin Connection: The Science of Glimmers and Skin Health
Drop in stress hormones
As mentioned above, when you are stressed, your body produces more stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. These naturally break down collagen and elastin over time, accelerating the appearance of aging.
Stress hormones also cause the skin to produce more oil (sebum), increasing the risk of acne. Inflammation rises, which contributes to eczema and psoriasis flare-ups.
Joy is a great antidote to stress. When you’re happy, your body maintains a more normal physiological system that doesn’t stress your skin too much.
Reduction of inflammatory markers
Research shows that positive emotions are associated with lower levels of inflammation in the body. In one 2015 studythe researchers found that negative emotions are “reliably associated with poorer health,” while positive emotions help reduce levels of inflammatory markers in the bloodstream. They found that awe, in particular, was a strong predictor of lower levels of pro-inflammatory cells.
In 2017 studyresearchers asked participants to provide end-of-day reports of their positive and negative emotions for 30 days. They found that “greater diversity in daily positive emotions was associated with lower levels of circulating inflammation,” independent of body mass index, medical conditions, or personality.
Since inflammation plays a key role in many skin problems—including acne and rosacea—reducing inflammation through happiness can immediately improve the appearance of your skin.
Improved sleep quality
We described how just one night of poor sleep can make you look older in a previous post. Insufficient sleep is linked to reduced skin health and faster skin aging.
To experience your best skin, you need to get a regular 7-8 hours of sleep a night. Experiencing more flashes can help you do this, as positive emotions are associated with better sleep, while negative emotions are more likely to disrupt sleep.
Indeed, the two feed off each other. In one 2018 studythe researchers noted, “Not only does emotion affect sleep, but there is also evidence that sleep plays a key role in emotion regulation.”
Strengthening the immune system
A strong immune system is vital for skin health because it protects against infections and skin diseases.
We noted in a previous post that when the immune system is working as it should, the skin is strong and protective. When they are not, common problems include psoriasis and eczema flare-ups, acne, infections, allergic reactions and itching.
Pursuing more positive emotions can help the skin maintain a supportive immune system. In a studyfor example, scientists found that positive human emotions increased the immune response and reduced stress hormones. The connection was so strong that the scientists said that those who regularly experience more negative emotions “may be at greater risk for disease than those with a positive emotional style.”
Photo Mi Pham via Unscrew.
How to grab more sparkles in your life
If you want to experience more glow in your life—and give your skin a natural beauty boost—instead of focusing on bad moments, practice looking for glows that help you feel and look your best.
You can look for sparkles while walking, driving, sitting at your desk, or just going about your day.
Look for those little moments of joy. Try to notice when you feel any of these feelings in your body. These include happiness, hope, joy, gladness, peace, or a sense of care. If you write them down when they happen, you will train yourself to experience even more.
Notice when something makes you smile, like petting a dog or cat, eating something delicious, listening to a song, going out in the sun, or looking at a picture of a loved one. Just experiencing a beautiful scent is a blast!
I rejoice with that first sip of coffee in the morning. It gives me a mini moment of peace. When I watch a cat do something cute or purr, my heart fills with immense joy. When I see a new bloom on my orchids, I feel happy.
Sharing your sparkles can help you develop that sense of joy. I have joined a text group where we share our sparkles with each other. It’s a reminder to keep looking for those sparkles throughout the day.
When you apply your skin care products, like CV Skinlabs, take a moment to enjoy how your skin feels. We created them to help reduce inflammation to improve the condition and appearance of skin.
Go ahead and tune in to all the amazing things around you. Here’s to your glow-in-the-dark day!
How do you inspire more sparkle in your life?
Featured image by Robert Araújo via Pexels.
