5 Surprising Benefits of Smiling

Wouldn’t it be great if you were told that you had the key to happiness right under your nose (this time, literally though!)?
Moving just a few facial muscles can have some unthinkable advantages – yes, your smile can have a positive effect on your well-being.

In our bid to cope with the stresses of our daily lives, we often forget to laugh or smile. Anyone who has had a child smile back to them knows how beautiful a gesture it can be. Today, science has proven smile’s incredible effects on our physiology and emotions.
We at Advanced Dental Center have prepared a list of 5 surprising benefits of smiling. Read on to find out what they are:

It Relieves You of Your Stress and Anxiety

Smiling in a stressful situation may sound an odd thing to do, but it may help you better deal with the situation. A study published in PubMed showed that participants in the smiling group had significantly lower heart rates during stress recovery than participants who were told to hold neutral expressions. So, next time you are in a stressful situation, chin up and smile.  

Fake Smiles Work Too

What’s more surprising is that your smile does not need to be based on genuine emotions. Sticking a fake smile on your face will do just fine. A 2013 Forbes article shows that a fake smile can enhance the mood of a person and reduce stress levels.
However, remember that genuine smile, including your eyes and mouth, is a better strategy.

It Makes You Look More Attractive

Well, we wouldn’t be smiling in our social media profile pictures if this weren’t true. However, speaking in strictly scientific terms, a study published in the European Journal of Social Psychology examined whether just smiling would make a person more attractive. The expression of smiling, when compared with a neutral expression, was found to elicit better attractiveness ratings.

It Is Contagious

Have you ever cried after watching a sad movie? This happens because of mirror neurons in your brains. These mirror neurons make you feel what the other person is feeling, that is, empathize with them.
When a person smiles at you, your mirror neurons light up and lead you to simulate the actions of your smiling friend, and hence you smile back.

It Creates a Positive Loop

Shawn Achor, one of the modern researchers in the field of happiness, argues in his book The Happiness Advantage that smiling can encourage happiness and create patterns of positive thinking. He further explains that, like any sport, being happy needs practice. A person has got to train his/her brain to feel positive emotions and smiling does help.

At Advanced Dental Center, our goal is to spread smiles. From teeth whitening service to modern cosmetic procedures, our dentists in Frederick, Maryland have all the skills to make those pearly whites of yours shine when you smile. Get in touch to know more about us.