When we give or receive a smile there’s a comforting flash of effervescence in our tummies. I call it the “Popping candy effect”. Even in the quickest of exchanges, these sensations can be felt, and they are key to keeping us in the driving seats of our minds -once you start noticing them.

The smile duration will affect how long you experience these calming, soothing sensations’.

If, for example, you’ve just exchanged a grin, when walking past someone, then a tingle that actually feels smile-shaped, will flash within your stomach. It’s a quick swap of pleasant feelings, even when you don’t know the person. It usually gets triggered if we offer a smile, or if we’re smiled at first, and, albeit that this is a mere instant connection; our subconscious minds, and our fast brain, get sufficient- enough positive vibes to mirror the sender. Plus, we tend to favor politeness.

But if you know the person, and like them, then the feeling will last longer. You might for example feel a nice belly – skip, as though traveling over a smooth bump in the road in a car, when you recognise the person approaching you.

Once you’ve arranged a date, or committed to be in touch soon, you bear-hug and then carry on with what you were doing. But you’ll glow with comfort and warmth.  You’ll feel lighter inside, as though you’ve just opened the blinds onto a sunny morning. Your potential state of functioning on autopilot will be swapped with a more animated version of you, and you’ll feel a surge of energy as though you’ve just enjoyed a coffee.

Of course, when our smiles lock with someone we’re fond of or love, then we’ll dance our way through the rest of the day; any bodily aches or pains of varying variety, feel diminished or fast-melting. We feel the celebration of glorious butterflies swooshing around our insides. We sense that nothing is beyond our reach…

We get these genuine pure and wonderful feelings all in our stomachs. It is where our gut instincts reside too.

Next time you smile, notice all the feelings you are experiencing in your tummies, and you’ll feel that they spread through your face and your wider body.

You are now getting more familiar with your Felt Sense. It is the lesser talked about human sense.

It is incredibly helpful, and we all have access to ours.

I have written a short book about how I found mine. It also includes some other easy ways to connect to yours.

It is a free book on my site supporting mental health.

Please feel free to get in touch if you would like my website.