“A smile costs nothing, but gives much.
It enriches those who receive, without making poorer those who give.
It takes but a moment, but the memory f it sometimes lasts forever.”
Dr. Genny Anderson
We have all been guilty of taking our smiles for granted, I know I have! Sometimes it can be hard to turn up the corner of our lips when we’re having really bad days, those days when everything seems to be going wrong. But a smile is more than just a way to express your happiness; many of its benefits are actually directly linked to your health! In fact some studies have shown that a combination of smiling and laughter can literally add years to your life!
Are the benefits of smiling purely psychological? By no means! When we smile an assortment of chemicals is released in our brains such as endorphins and serotonin. You might have heard of endorphin before, it’s the same drug that’s released when we eat chocolate and exercise. Essentially these are feel good drugs that the body produces and that your smile releases.
Smiling has even been known to reduce blood pressure! Many tests undertaken showed a slight reduction in blood pressure when the reading was taken after smiling solidly for one minute. Just think of the difference that could make if you smiled all the time if you do suffer from high blood pressure.
Along with these obvious health benefits there are many other advantages to keeping that grin on your face:
- Smiling can make you appear younger than you are. Start to get rid of those deep-set wrinkles caused by frowning; laughter lines are far more attractive.
- You may find yourself appearing more attractive to other people with a beaming smile on your face; humans are naturally attracted to smiles and repelled by frowns.
- Spread the joy with your smile. This is one that you can test at home, try smiling for a day and see how many people smile back at you in reaction – it really is contagious. I challenge you to bring smiles to the faces of as many people that you come into contact with as you can!
- You can actually instantly improve your mood with a smile. Give it a try, start by smiling and then think of something sad – can you keep up the smile? A smile is associated with positive and happy thoughts, keeping it up will keep your brain happy.
- Struggling with stress? Would you believe that a smile can counter its effects? Next time everything is feeling too much find a quiet corner to sit down in and let a smile light up your face. You may just find yourself feeling better.
Letting your smile out more often could dramatically change your life so why not give it a go? It’s one of the most positive attributes that we as humans have and yet one of the most under-appreciated. Let’s change that trend today!
