Why Smiling May Be Your Most Underrated Health Habit
We smile when we’re happy, see someone we like, or hear something amusing. It’s an unconscious and often contagious reaction. However, those grins do more than brighten our faces. In fact, smiling may improve your health in ways you aren’t aware of.
If you want to increase your smiling power, adding fun activities to your day is a good place to start. You can choose whatever interests you, such as attending concerts or plays, playing board games, or doing arts and crafts. You can do these on your own or even better to do them with others to increase the enjoyment. For more smiling benefits, keep reading.
Smile: A Great Habit for Health
Smiling doesn’t always come easily, especially if you’ve had a bad day. However, finding reasons to smile, such as doing something fun or talking to those you like, is a great habit. Doing so has several health benefits, including reduced stress, improved physical health, and emotional management. We’ll discuss the most common advantages in the following sections.
Boost mood & reduce stress
Smiling doesn’t only affect the muscles in your face. It activates molecules in the brain that facilitate neuron communication, which alters your mood. It also triggers the release of feel-good hormones, including dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins. These increase happiness while reducing negative emotions.
However, those hormones do more than make you feel good. A smile also improves mental health. It reduces stress by lowering cortisol levels and allowing your mind and body to relax. Serotonin also acts as an antidepressant, decreasing symptoms of depression and anxiety for a more positive outlook.
Improves physical health
According to recent studies, the immune system is influenced by emotions. Those with positive attitudes have stronger immune function than their negative counterparts. Such improvements may not cure cancer, but they could prevent less-serious conditions from affecting your health. Since smiling increases positivity, your immune system benefits.
Smiling also has other advantages. As those feel-good hormones reduce stress, your heart rate and blood pressure also lower. Experts also believe that smiling and laughter may even increase your lifespan compared to less optimistic individuals.
Improves social connections
Recent studies show that smiling encourages healthy social connections in several ways. First, people often reciprocate a polite smile, even when no other interaction takes place. These small gestures don’t seem important, but they may improve someone else’s day.
Smiling also affects how you view others. When they smile back, it increases your liking for that person. You may view them more favorably as a potential friend or partner. Smiling also breeds trust during business dealings and other financial endeavors. The more you smile, the more social you appear.
Promotes emotional resilience
Another health benefit of smiling is its effect on emotional resilience. The hormones released when you smile increase positivity. The happier you feel, the less likely you are to give in to negative thoughts and behaviours.
Over time, your emotional response to challenges becomes more manageable. You’ll retain your positivity rather than becoming anxious, angry, or combative. The ability to handle unexpected situations strengthens over time, until you can handle almost anything life throws at you.
Resources:
- Aultman Health Services, Oct. 6, 2017, World Smile Day – How Smiling Affects Your Brain
https://aultman.org/blog/caring-for-you/world-smile-day-how-smiling-affects-your-brain/#/ - PubMed, Oct. 2014, Smile – It’s in your blood!
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25107703/ - West Jefferson Medical Center, May 31, 2024, Turn that frown upside down to realize the benefits of smiling
https://www.lcmchealth.org/west-jefferson-medical-center/blog/2024/may/turn-that-frown-upside-down-to-realize-the-benef/ - Walden University, The Power of Smiling
https://www.waldenu.edu/online-bachelors-programs/bs-in-psychology/resource/the-power-of-smiling - PMC, Dec. 2019, The subjective value of a smile alters social behaviour
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6886806/ - AVEIT, March 31, The Importance of Smiles in Reducing Anxiety
https://aveit.org.au/blog/the-importance-of-smiles-in-reducing-anxiety?srsltid=AfmBOop-tKTV_WIn_EjF8KxCMZLhDA8rnBqoO3hwTtmOEHTdNR4sjcuy
This article contains informational and educational materials and does not replace health or medical advice. For questions or concerns regarding your medical condition or health objectives, speak to a qualified physician or healthcare provider.
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