Smiling is one of the most natural movements you can make. Most of us smile every day - whether at someone you love, because of a clever joke, or because you’re about to take that first sip of morning coffee. Smiling sends the message that we are at ease, enjoying ourselves, and happy to be in each other’s company. Moreover, smiling is so powerful that it’s contagious - a smile can spread, making others crack a grin, too.
While many of us think of smiling as an unconscious reaction to outside stimuli, it is possible to harness the power of a smile. Choosing to smile intentionally has enormous benefits, from health to relationship quality, career opportunities, and longevity. Keep reading to learn more about the ten hidden powers of your smile that can transform your life!
1. Smiles Boost Your Confidence
A smile automatically radiates confidence. Studies show that people who smile freely are perceived to be more self-assured and successful. In addition, individuals who smile more are usually given more opportunities for growth and development, as their self-assured appearance and positive impact make others more confident in them, too.
2. Smiles Create Connections and Build Trust
Smiling opens the door to connecting with others deeply and meaningfully. It’s an international language that can open new possibilities in your relations and readily start conversations, even with strangers. In studies, more significant smiles are correlated to feelings of friendliness and trustworthiness and enhance emotional connection. Smiles can also help us reconnect and repair after a relationship has broken trust. With a whiter, brighter smile, you’ll smile more confidently, building stronger connections.
3. Smiles Can Help You Advance in Your Career
Are you ready to boost your career? Putting on a happy face can make a difference. Smiling shows you're friendly and confident. Moreover, a study has shown that happy people who smile more are usually more productive. If you feel good about your smile, people will see you as more powerful and trustworthy. A confident white smile can make you more willing and open to attending networking events, job interviews, or work lunches. As a result, you can increase your chances of landing a new, well-paying job or getting a promotion in your current position.
4. Smiles Make You More Attractive
A study has shown that we are more attracted to people who wear a smile. Smiling can even make others assume your positive personality traits. As a result, we are more willing to approach those smiling individuals to create a better impression on potential partners. Moreover, it improves self-perception and boosts self-esteem, creating a more positive self-image.
5. Smiles Have an Anti-Aging Effect on Your Appearance
A smile can make your face look lifted and give the impression of a more youthful appearance. Even though smiling can cause some 'smile lines' around the eyes, the positive mood makes you seem younger. Additionally, smiling engages many facial muscles and tightens the skin on your face and neck, creating a natural face-lifting effect. So, if you want a quick makeover, just remember that a smile is the best accessory you can wear.
6. Smiles Can Improve Your Mood
While we typically think of a smile as an indication of positive emotion, smiling can also trigger good feelings. When you smile, your brain releases feel-good hormones like dopamine and serotonin. Dopamine increases feelings of happiness, while serotonin is the hormone associated with stress reduction, helping you feel more at ease.
In addition to letting the happiness-boosting hormones flow, smiling also inhibits the release of cortisol and adrenaline. These are related to stress and anxiety, so reducing these hormones helps you feel happier. In other words, your smile acts as a natural antidepressant in many ways, alleviating stress and increasing positive feelings.
7. Smiles May Boost Your Immune System
There is some truth to the saying, “Laughter is the best medicine.” Smiling and laughing have been shown to improve immune function. The immune system is the body’s defense against illness and infection, and smiling can protect against disease. In many studies, smiling was prompted by watching funny videos or hearing jokes, causing the patient to smile and laugh, which boosts immune function. So next time you’ve gone to bed with a cold, enjoy that warm cup of tea and your favorite funny movie - it could help you recover more quickly.
8. Smiles Can Relieve Your Pain
Yes, really. Along with boosting dopamine and serotonin, smiling releases endorphins associated with pain reduction and elevated mood. Often called “the body’s painkiller,” endorphins reduce stress within the body and are helpful in pain management. When you smile, the body sends a signal from the facial muscles to the brain to release endorphins, meaning you can trick your brain into improving your mood, decreasing stress, and warding off pain. So, when it comes to smiling, you really can ‘fake it ‘til you make it.
9. Smiles Can Lower Your Blood Pressure
In clinical studies, smiling has been proven to reduce blood pressure. High blood pressure is often associated with stress, so when smiling reduces tension in the body, it, in turn, lowers blood pressure. High blood pressure can be hazardous and linked to heart disease, heart attack, and even strokes. If you want to keep your blood pressure in check, practice smiling daily.
10. Smiles May Help You Live Longer
According to numerous studies, smiling aids in stress management and immune function, which leads to an increased lifespan. In addition, in long-term research on happiness, those with a higher sense of humor and tended to smile and laugh more lived longer with fewer health issues, especially women. Smiles and laughter improve your vitality as they increase oxygen intake and stimulate the heart and muscles.
It is evident that smiling isn’t just something we do without thinking - it’s a choice we can make every day to live better. Smiling helps us feel and look better, improve our health, connect with others, and be more successful and productive. Be confident and smile more by embracing a brighter and whiter smile.
Now that’s something to smile about…
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