Smiles and the Wanderer Nerve

The Vagus nerve (Latin- Wanderer) reaches all around the body and when triggered by oxytocin through an act of kindness, given or received, the vagus nerve calms us down, reduces blood pressure and heart rate, which is good for the heart and arteries and helps reduce stress levels.

The film narrative suggests how simple kind smiles create changes in the hypothalamus of the brain represented by the orange glow. One smile then induces more smiles and creates multiple positive effects all over the body suggestion a contagious nature of a kindness.

What does kindness sound like? A bespoke soundscape accompanying the film weaves together layers of manipulated sounds of birdsong and human voices in conversation, to create what the artist feels could be the sounds of kindness.

90 cm