Comment by trhway

technically speaking smiling increases airflow and thus improves work of the brain and the body. So one of first things i do in tough/stressful situations is i make myself smile. It has immediate effect of de-anxiety and improves attention (like kind of making yourself an impartial side observer of situation which is especially important when you are outnumbered), and back in Russia i would for example smile when find myself in a bind and before starting delivering punches if/when it would come to it, and in US i smile if something gets me frustrated as the Russian style of response to frustration isn't acceptable here and before i start delivering politely shaped microaggressions (the thing which seems to replace punches here :)