How Smiling Can Improve Your Health & Your Life By Alicia Green on January 28, 2019

We all know how important smiles can be for a multitude of reasons. From our self confidence to showing our emotions to those around us. But did you know that smiling can actually affect your overall health?

Feel Good

Smiling activiates neuropeptides within the brain. These neuropeptides help fight off stress, release dopamine and serotonin (feel good hormones) into the brain. Dopamine and serotonin serve as a antidepressant, lowers heart heart, and lowers blood pressure. Smiling and laughing is also a proven natural pain killer. Have you heard the saying “smile through the pain”? There really is truth to the saying, even if it is a fake smile.

Look Good

It is also proven that you are better looking when you smile. Seeing another person smile activates the orbitofrontal cortex of the brain. This is the region that processes sensory rewards, which means, when you see someone smiling you feel rewarded. Along with looking better to those around you smiling is actually helping your looks, not just the perception of how you look. Smiling can make you look up to three years younger by exercising the muscles in your face. Back to how a smile can make others perceive you differently, a study conducted in 2014 found that people who smile are perceived as being more likable than people who don’t smile.

Work Better

Having a difficult time getting through the work day? People become more motivated after smiling or laughing at work. If you are in a slump it might be good to look up a quick funny meme or video. Smiling at work will also make you appear more confident, easier to approach, and even more likely to be promoted. Make sure to smile during meetings and appointments as much as you can, or what seems natural for your current setting.

Fun Facts

According to the Mayo Clinic laughing and positive thinking releases molecules in the brain that actually fight off stress and illness. Laughter really is medicine!

Smiling and positive thoughts are associated with longer life spans according to a study conducted in 2010.

Smiling is proven to be contagious. In a study where participants were shown photos of emotions like joy, anger, and fear they were asked to frown when they saw a picture of something smiling. The participants actually did the opposite and smiled when they saw a smile. They had to force a frown afterwards.