8h (edited) • special ops training
Nobody Smiles During Hell Week:
The Importance of Smiling and Laughing During Stressful Times
While there are moments to be serious and focused on getting things done, there will be times when laughter and smiling can help you mitigate the hormonal effects of high physical and mental stress. Here is a video intro I did the other day prior to a LIVE QA session about the topic, as Hellweek was getting underway:
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Could a Smile Be the Simplest Biohack for Feeling Better?
It sounds almost too easy to be true, but science suggests that even a deliberate smile can give your brain and body a small boost. What if one of the fastest ways to shift your mood was already built into your face?
Smiling may seem trivial, even cheesy, in a world obsessed with supplements, cold plunges, and high-performance wellness rituals. But this simple human reflex may be one of the most underrated mind-body tools we have. Research suggests that smiling, even when it’s intentional rather than spontaneous, can gently nudge the brain toward a more positive emotional state. The effect isn’t massive, and it’s not a cure-all, but it may be real enough to count as a legitimate micro-biohack. It may be the difference between quitting or keep on going when tired, stressed, and in a difficult situation.
The idea is rooted in something scientists call the facial feedback hypothesis: the notion that facial expressions don’t just reflect how we feel, they can also help shape it. In other words, the act of smiling may send signals back to the brain that subtly reinforce happiness, reduce stress, or help the body recover more quickly from tension. Add laughter to the mix, and the effect may extend beyond mood into stress regulation, social bonding, and overall resilience.
That doesn’t mean you should grin your way through burnout or pretend serious emotional pain can be fixed with a cheesy smile. But if you’re looking for a low-effort, no-cost way to support your mental and physical state, smiling may deserve more respect than it gets.
Laughing and Smiling and Focusing on What is Next...
Laughter deserves its own place in this conversation, because it may be one of the body’s fastest ways to interrupt stress. When life feels threatening, overwhelming, or painfully tense, laughter can act like an internal pressure valve, shifting breathing, loosening muscle tension, and softening the body’s state of alarm. That is why laughing under stress is not necessarily a denial of the situation. In many cases, it is a deeply human way of coping.
There is real science behind laughing. Research suggests that spontaneous laughter can reduce cortisol, the body’s primary stress hormone, and may help people recover more quickly from acute strain. Evolutionary researchers also argue that laughter likely helped humans survive by signaling safety, strengthening social bonds, and making groups more resilient under pressure. In that sense, laughter is more than entertainment. It is a built-in survival tool: a way to regulate stress, restore connection, and remind the nervous system that not every hard moment is permanent.
Last One In is a Rotten Egg
Have you ever considered that a simple laugh could be your stress antidote and completely change your mood and attitude? I’ve experienced firsthand how laughter brings relief and clarity amidst chaos and negativity. I remember the first day after hellweek, one of the first things the instructors had us do was get wet and sandy. After 5 days of being wet and sandy and spending the weekend nursing the aches and chaffing of that week, no one wanted to get wet again. You could feel the negative energy as we hobbled toward the surf zone until someone said, "Well, last one in is a rotten egg." That little joke made us all laugh at ourselves and helped make the moment easier to digest.
I invite you to explore the journey of stress relief through as many natural ways as possible. Sleep, nutrition, hydration, breathing, smiling, and laughter are our tools to do this each day. Check out this stress-mitigation article: The Balance of Personal, Professional, Physical/Emotional - Stress and Recovery. Join the LIVE QA sessions on Monday and Tuesday, 9am EST (YouTube/Instagram) to learn how to integrate the natural recovery tools into your daily life. By actively pursuing recovery as a vital part of your toolkit for managing life’s challenges, you may find that it leads to both optimal performance and longevity.
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Veteran - Stew Smith (former Navy SEAL) helps military, law enforcement, and firefighter candidates and recruits succeed with coaching and programs.
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