Smile! It’s Good for Your Health
It might be hard to believe that something as simple as smiling is actually good for your health, mood, and moods of those around you. Multiple studies show that smiling benefits us in a variety of ways. Here are some of the main advantages
Smiles Relieve Stress
More than just improving your general mood, smiling can help you relieve or even recover from stress. Believe it or not, smiling can reduce stress even if you don’t feel like smiling or even if you fake it with a smile that isn’t genuine.
The participants in the study experienced real physical benefits, like a lower heart rate, during and after stressful tasks. Those physical benefits translate into psychological benefits, allowing you to “feel” less stressed.
Your Mood Improves
Smiling makes you feel good because when you smile, your body releases endorphins, or happy hormones. This flood of cheerful chemicals acts like a super vitamin for every system in your body.
One research group found that even forced smiling and laughter can improve your mood. They found that laughing is a more powerful mood booster, but even faking a smile improved the mood of participants.
You Look Good
There is plenty of evidence that people find you more attractive when you smile and even assume you have more positive personality traits. There are specific areas in your brain that activate when you see an attractive face, and this study found that these areas light up when you see a smile coming your way. Plus, smiling can also make you look more youthful and that as to be a plus!
Smiling Is Contagious
All this grinning doesn’t just benefit you. When you smile, you can pass on all those good smiling effects to others if you smile at them. When you smile, even at someone you don’t know, that person is likely to smile back and can also elevate their mood.
As soon as you pass your smile to someone, their body and mind goes through that same response of happy hormones and stress reduction. Sure, this might be a small dose. But imagine how many of those small doses could be passed around during your day.!
Smiling Helps You Stay Positive
Try this test: Smile. Now try to think of something negative without losing the smile. It’s hard, isn’t it?
Regardless of whether your smile is genuine, it still sends the message of “Life is good! To your brain and ultimately to the rest of your body.
