Published on September 17, 2021, Updated on October 12, 2021
SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS SEEING AN OLD FRIEND, WATCHING A GOOD MOVIE, OR RANDOMLY REMINISCENT OF A GREAT JOKE WE HAD YEARS AGO CAN MAKE US SMILE. We’re about to give you even another reason to smile: it’s beneficial to your health! That’s right, smiling has real health advantages, so get ready to show off those pearly whites as you read on!
The Feel-Good Hormone And Smiling
A chemical reaction occurs in our body when we smile: endorphins are released. Endorphins are naturally occurring chemicals that reduce pain and provide euphoria. They come after a hard workout, and they also come when we’re happy. What’s more cooler is that our brains are so wired to link smiling with happiness that even a phoney smile will produce endorphins. So, if you get hurt, use this tip to lessen your agony!
Smiling Can Help You Relax
Another advantage of endorphins produced by smiling is that they aid in stress relief. Our heart rate increases when we are agitated. Smiling (false or real) has been shown to reduce blood pressure and lower heart rates more quickly.
In a 2012 study, participants were given a demanding job to complete. One group was required to execute the exercise while holding a pencil between their teeth and smiling the entire time. The other group had to hold the pencil between their lips, which forced them to have a more neutral expression on their faces. The people who smiled the most quickly returned to their resting heart rates!
Smiles can help to strengthen your immune system.
Our immune systems have an easier time keeping us healthy the more endorphins we get from smiling and the less stress we have. When we are less stressed, our cells become less stiff, allowing our immune response cells to react to viruses and other threats to our health more quickly. It can even reduce the number of stress-induced mutations in our cells, lowering our chances of developing cancer!
All of this adds up to our being able to add years to our lives simply by smiling! So get to work on getting those guffaw lines!
Smiling Has Another Advantage: It Increases Productivity!
We tend to do more when we are in a good mood. And, because we can boost our productivity at work simply by smiling more, we can make ourselves feel better just by smiling! Because we all know how contagious smiles are, your coworkers might get the smile bug as well.
Allow us to provide you with reasons to smile.
Even with all of these advantages, smiling with confidence is difficult without healthy teeth and gums. Maintain proper brushing and flossing habits to keep your smile in good health, and see your dentist twice a year for a deep cleaning and to catch any dental problems early!
We enjoy seeing our patients’ happy faces!
