Smiling does more than make you look attractive, intelligent, and trustworthy. There are proven benefits for health and happiness when you smile. Explore five surprising health benefits of smiling below!
1. Smiling Improves Your Mental Health
We all get a little sad sometimes, and that’s okay, but knowing how to handle and improve your feelings is a great way to start. When you’re feeling a bit blue, take a deep breath and smile. Smiling triggers the brain to release serotonin and dopamine, which improves your mental health by feeling calm, confident, and relaxed. A study by T. Yamamoto found that when you’re down, you should make yourself smile, which not only helps improve your mood but also increases positive thinking. While forceful smiling isn’t always the best, it’s possible that even fake smiling will lead to a genuine smile. Look at funny cat photos, watch a comedic movie, or tell a silly joke to uplift your spirits and get you smiling!
2. Smiling is a Stress Relief
Whether your day is good or bad, stressful situations are often tough to deal with, and smiling helps during these trying times. A study done by Tara Kraft at the University of Kansas found that “all smiling participants, regardless of whether they were aware of smiling, had lower heart rates during stress.” You may have to grin and bear it as Kraft’s study mentions, but overall, smiling lowers your heart rate and blood pressure during stressful situations. Ensuring you keep your mood elevated leads to better psychological and physical health.
3. Smiling is Better for Relationships
Do you ever feel yourself wanting to be surrounded by people who are smiling? That’s because those who smile more than others are deemed trustworthy and likable over those who don’t smile as much. Smiling and laughing leads to building better relationships throughout your lifetime and contributes to overall health, happiness, and well-being. Creating stronger, healthy bonds with people through social interactions benefits interpersonal communication and evokes a positive emotional atmosphere.
4. Smiling Makes You More Approachable
While you may need to force a smile every once in a while to improve your own personal (and internal) feelings, an authentic smile can influence impressions on those you meet every day. When you offer a bright, enthusiastic smile, you’re considered approachable. Whether it’s for a job interview, first date, or throughout your daily life, think about how your smile can affect others positively and healthily.
5. Smiling Helps Create a Stronger Immune System
We mentioned earlier that smiling brings positivity and other benefits to you and others, but did you know that it can improve your immune function? Laughing and smiling leads to better immune support from your body, reports the Mayo Clinic. Smiling let’s your body release endorphins which combat pain on a natural level. So, turn up the corners of your mouth and laugh, smile, and experience the feelings of diminishing muscle tension and pain relief!
Get a Better Smile with Boger Dental
Whatever motivation you need to get your smile on, do it! If you’re in the market for a brighter and whiter smile, Boger Dental offers terrific cosmetic dentistry options for you to discover. Book a consultative appointment today and we’ll help you achieve a smile you’ll be proud to show off!
Still unsure about what you can do to improve your smile? Take a look at our free downloadable guide to cosmetic dentistry.