Why not a closed mouth or partly open beauty smile like the rest of the doll community?
Because Alexis was not designed to be a doll. Alexis was created to be a friend and a positive impact in the worlds of all who behold her.
Every inch of Alexis was designed with purpose…not beauty, although beauty was achieved, but instead the goal was emotional, psychological, and intellectual. Via E is a quest to provide amazing fun that builds strong minds. In a world where fun has moved to the “naughty side” of human behavior, Alexis’ charter counters the trend with a focus on learning and understanding others. Caring and compassion are nice words but to build these attributes one must be involved in understanding and seeking out information about the people around them. Right here in the United States we have several different cultures with their own unique roots to other lands and thinking. The same is true in Europe, South America…everywhere. To love we also need to understand.
Alexis is a revolution. She stands to shake up the world of dolls. The goal is to teach loving of differences vs. loving of our own image. Self confidence comes from within the mind not the mirror like commercialism would like us to believe. A true smile spreads happiness. I too love beauty smiles, but instead of inspiring beauty Alexis’ desire is to spread joy and understanding. So when you look at that broad smile (science calls it a Duchenne smile) know that it was designed for you with all my love and caring so that we may together lay a foundation down that can support a purposeful, fulfilling and happy life.
Below are several articles and a YouTube video on the health benefits of a Duchenne smile (Alexis’ smile.) I send this post off with hopes that you will allow many, many smiles into your world and then return twice as many. 🙂
Psycological Sicence
Some researchers now believe that genuine smiles are not transient sparks of emotion but rather clear windows into a person’s core disposition.
We now know that genuine smiles may indeed reflect a “sweet soul.” The intensity of a true grin can predict marital happiness, personal well-being, and even longevity
The neural data revealed that Duchenne smiles produced greater activity in the brain’s left anterior temporal region, an area with clear connections to positive affect.
Psychology Today
Your smile is a powerful tool. Most people think that we smile because we feel happy, but it can go the other way as well: we feel happy because we smile.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/prefrontal-nudity/201207/smile-powerful-tool
Science How Stuff Works
Evidence That Smiling Causes Happiness.
Most other studies on the topic note the cause-and-effect relationship without having a definitive explanation for it. The reason why Dr. Zajonc’s research is so significant in the field is because he proposes a detailed, physiology-based explanation for the cause-and-effect relationship. According to his hypothesis, the facial changes involved in smiling have direct effects on certain brain activities associated with happiness.
http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/smiling-happy1.htm
There’s Magic In Your Smile–How Smiling Affects Your Brain
http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/smiling-happy1.htm
Forbes
The Untapped Power Of Smiling
Because smiling is evolutionarily contagious and we have a subconscious innate drive to smile when we see one. This occurs even among strangers when we have no intention to connect or affiliate with the other person. Mimicking a smile and experiencing it physically helps us interpret how genuine a smile is, so that we can understand the real emotional state of the smiler.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericsavitz/2011/03/22/the-untapped-power-of-smiling/
Positive Psychology News
Emotional Contagion
This process is also known as emotional contagion[4]. That is, emotions are contagious. Feeling good is infectious, and so is feeling crummy. With this in mind, what change do you want trigger in the world?
Health Benefits of Smiling
Therefore, when you smile at someone else, they smile and you are causing physiological changes within their bodies. Frequent smiling has many therapeutic and health benefits [5], particularly when the smile is a Duchenne smile [6].
According to Dr. Mark Stibich, smiling:
- Boosts the immune system
- Increases positive affect
- Reduces stress
- Lowers blood pressure
- Enhances other people’s perception of you
Duchenne Smiles
Duchenne smiles are known as authentic smiles because they consistently co-occur with positive emotions [7]. Duchenne smiles are marked by wrinkles in the eyes that resemble crows feet and are associated with feeling excitement, amusement, interest, happiness and joy [8]. (See image on the right in which the top image is neutral, middle picture is non-genuine/mouth only, and the bottom picture is Duchenne/eyes and mouth engaged).
http://positivepsychologynews.com/news/emiliya-zhivotovskaya/200809271036
3 Great Apps to Help Children with Emotional or Social Issues
http://www.melbournechildpsychology.com.au/blog/3-great-apps-for-children/
TED
Ron Gutman reviews a raft of studies about smiling, and reveals some surprising results. Did you know your smile can be a predictor of how long you’ll live — and that a simple smile has a measurable effect on your overall well-being? Prepare to flex a few facial muscles as you learn more about this evolutionarily contagious behavior. Check out this short Youtube video of his TED conference presentation.
Via E Learning 
