10 Reasons To Smile More Often

Smiling may seem to be of no value, but believe it or not, small bouts of smiling can even have the same effect as a facelift.

Health professionals as well as psychologists have also encouraged smiling for years as a recipe of good health. They all concur that smiling does more to the body than enhance facial appearance.

A simple act of smiling has many other benefits for you and those close to you. Here are 10 reasons to smile more often.

1. Reduces Stress Level

Smiling stimulates the production of endorphin – a hormone secreted within the nervous system and the brain that limits the effects of pain and stress – thus boosting one’s emotional state. This hormone is also known to work against depression.

2. Immune System Booster

Perhaps this is one of the few immune boosters which are free and readily available. Smiling boosts your immune system by promoting relaxation. Smiling is also contagious, so you will be helping those close to you stay healthy as well.

3. Reduces Aggression

A simple act of smiling reduces aggression and can help tame and tone down tempers if one party to the situation resorts to smile and offers an olive branch.

4. Anti-Aging

Smiling results in an irrevocable natural facelift by plumping up the cells in the skin and giving it a radiant glow. Perhaps this is the reason why many studies conducted by health experts found that a good percentage of women are regarded as more attractive when smiling than when they wear makeup.

Studies have also shown that smiling lowers the heart rate, making one to breathe easy and hence relaxing the body and ensuring amazing youthful looks.

5. Encourages Positive Thinking

The act of frequent smiling stimulates the mind to have a more positive outlook, and the more you smile, the longer you will stay in a positive space. By smiling often, you can train your mind to have more positive thinking patterns.

6. Enhances Attractiveness

This isn’t a secret, just smile if you are truly serious about enhancing your attractiveness. For both sexes, physical appearances are enhanced with a simple smile.

7. Increases Sociability and Approachability

It’s more likely for someone to strike up a conversation with a complete stranger and instantly make friends if the stranger is smiling than if one is wearing a frowning face. It is a great way to boost one’s chances of being approachable in a social gathering and get to know others better.

8. Extends Life Expectancy

Smiling greatly helps to have a positive attitude towards life as it’s difficult to smile and have a negative attitude. Health experts have advised severally on the benefits of wearing a positive attitude including prolonging life expectancy.

9. Mood Booster

Psychologists have found that even if you hate smiling, grinning for sixty seconds even if it’s a fake one and forced, stimulates the production of serotonin, which is a neurotransmitter that plays an important role in enhancing mood.

10. Increases Trustworthiness

A person who smiles appears to be more trustworthy than one who is always wearing a neutral expression or frowning. This is a virtue that helps in personal relationships as well as in work settings such as job interviews, promotions and evaluations.

The good thing about smiling is that it is free. With all the benefits that come with smiling, you have everything to gain by smiling more often!

Sources:
Psychology Today
Huffington Post