The Power of a Smile: How Simply Smiling can Affect Your Health

Do You Know How Much Power Your Smile Holds?

Your smile is the silent greeting that you present to the world, but what is actually going on while you are flashing that smile? Is it affecting your mood? Is it affecting your health?

You may be surprised to find out that the simple act of smiling can actually improve your physical and mental health.

When you smile, endorphins are released in your brain. These are the feel-good chemicals released by the pituitary gland and spread around the nervous system to ease pain and boost euphoria. This means that when you smile, your body actually experiences some of the same chemical releases it experiences when you exercise. Because of this, the effects produced from a smile have been proven to lower the heart rate and lower blood pressure, as well as reducing stress and anxiety. As an added bonus, the endorphins also raise your pain threshold.

Serotonin and dopamine are also released in your brain when you smile . Serotonin is your body’s natural anti-depressant. The serotonin, combined with the endorphins and dopamine, create a lift in your mood that helps you feel happier. So, if you’re feeling blue, turning your frown upside down really will help to cheer you up. Happier people tend to be more creative, so as your mood improves from smiling, you may see greater productivity in other areas of your life, including your career. By smiling more, you can actually retrain your brain to have more positive patterns, thus improving your mood and life.

When you see someone else smile, it is your natural response to smile back. A smile begins from a signal that starts in the cortex of your brain and travels to your facial muscles. The smile then creates a positive feedback loop that increases and reinforces feelings of happiness and joy. The activity that occurs in your brain when you see someone else smile, creates the natural response for you to also smile at them, thus perpetuating all of the happy chemicals released in both of your brains from smiling. No wonder smiles are seen as friendly and welcoming body language.  

Does smiling affect your health? Yes, it does, but in some cases, your health can affect your smile. People may not smile due to bad teeth or other dental issues. In this case, you can contact your dentist to set it right. Fixing dental problems not only protects your health but also restores your beautiful smile.

Let those endorphins flow and keep smiling.

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