janiq meneze - the hidden power of smiling

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/ron_gutman_the_hidden_power_of_smiling.html

The TED talk I chose for my project is called “The hidden power of smiling”. It took me a while to stumble upon this video because I was so focused on finding a video about science, but then I realized that since I want to pursue a career in dentistry, why not check out a video about smiles? Ron Gutman, the speaker, makes interesting points about smiling, and backs up his argument with scientific research. The video talks about smiling like it is some sort of medicine for life, which I believe is true. Research has proven that smiling can actually make you healthier, reduce the level of stress-enhancing hormones like cortisol, adrenaline and dopamine, increase the level of mood-enhancing hormones like endorphin, and reduce overall blood pressure. Also, smiling can look good in the eyes of others. Apparently when you smile, not only do you appear to be more likable and courteous, you also appear to be more competent (says Penn State Uni.). Smiling stimulates our brain reward mechanism in a way that even chocolate cannot match. British researchers found that one smile can generate the same level of brain stimulation as up to two thousand bars of chocolate! Smiling is one of the most basic, biologically-uniform expressions of all humans.

Ron Gutman, the speaker, is the founder and CEO of HealthTap, responsible for the company's innovation, vision and product. Before this, he was founder and CEO of Wellsphere, an online consumer health company that developed the world's largest community of independent health writers; it was acquired in early 2009. Ron started his journey in California with a a UC Berkeley 30 year longitudinal study that examined the photos of students in an old yearbook and tried to measure their success and well-being throughout their life. As a graduate student at Stanford, Gutman organized and led a multidisciplinary group of faculty and graduate students from the schools of Engineering, Medicine, Business, Psychology and Law to conduct research in personalized health and to design ways to help people live healthier, happier lives. He is an angel investor and advisor to health and technology companies such as Rock Health (the first Interactive Health Incubator) and Harvard Medical School's SMArt Initiative ("Substitutable Medical Apps, reusable technologies"). It seems that Ron Gutman is very passionate about what he does. From his biography, I can tell he is a good leader and a hard-working individual. It is really cool that his company, HealthTap, brings interactive software to medicine. To make this all happen, he has to collaborate with many different people. And he does this all just to design ways to help people live healthier, happier lives. What a guy.

Dentistry is kind of a weird career to pursue, but the reasons I want to become a dentist are because dentistry is a combination of science and art (my two favorite subjects), I will be able to work with people, and I love smiles/making people laugh. I will be working towards going to dental school by majoring in biochemistry at the University of San Diego next year. Biochemistry is a tough major because the course is set for kids going into medical fields. My plan is to work really hard in college and intern over the summer at a dental office. Last summer I volunteered at a school for children with Autism; I thoroughly enjoyed it and realized I want to pursue a career where I can work with people. Closer to the school year I thought it would be a good idea to go see what it is like to be a dentist, so I shadowed a dentist and an orthodontist. I watched a root canal, a bridge, and a crown. Pretty sweet. If I cannot get a job at an office or at some sort of lab, I will probably try working at an art or music shop. But once I get to college, I am definitely going to intern at a dental office. After college, I want to go to dental school. I’m not sure exactly where, but I know University of the Pacific’s Dugoni School of Dentistry is really good and Boston University’s Dental School is good, too. My dentist told me that being a dentist is more than just cleaning teeth. It’s an art form, a study of human behavior, and a rewarding job. The job seemed perfect until I found out the amount of stress that is carried with it, but I guess that’s why this video is perfect. Work hard, have fun, smile.