Smiling is Infectious and Healing
It may be hard to notice during the Pandemic, but smiling is an essential part of healing. People experiencing depression or recovering from trauma often find the natural act extremely difficult. That’s okay, and it’s also a perfectly natural response to emotional pain.
Here are a few benefits of smiling that I hope will make you smile more today, tomorrow, and throughout the future.
Reduce Stress By Turning Your Frown Upside Down
Studies show manipulating positive facial expressions, or smiling, can reduce stress and lower heart rates. With numerous daily stressors in today’s world, your smile might be the simplest way to lower stress levels and relax more.
Addressing these factors can reduce the symptoms of depression and help increase healing from emotional and physical trauma. So, flash your pearly whites some more and feel better with the natural body movements.
Smiling Releases Endorphins
Your body makes natural pain relievers. When you smile, it reduces endorphins and boosts serotonin levels, improving your mood, and create a calming sensation. Reduce your depression naturally through a simple smile or two throughout your day. Releasing endorphins is another way smiling lowers stress levels.
Look Younger with Your Smile
Who doesn’t want to look younger? Smiling can make you look younger and more attractive. This benefit is another reason to turn that frown upside down.
Also, smiling can make you appear successful.
Even if it’s forced, it might improve your confidence and increase your victories in life. Even if you don’t succeed at everything, forcing that smile can make the people around you happier, bettering your relationships. Plus, at work, smiling at your boss and appearing happy can improve your job performance, helping you get that well-deserved promotion. The success smiling offers can reduce your depression symptoms.
Lower Blood Pressure by Smiling
Laughter may really be some of the best medicine. A 2009 study found that along with a healthy diet, regular exercise, and getting enough sleep, smiling can help lower blood pressure. While you shouldn’t skip regular doctor’s visits, there’s nothing wrong with smiling more to add a boost to your wellness.
Another health benefit of smiling—It may increase your natural immunity. Of course, don’t skip handwashing, the flu shot, regular sleep, daily cardiovascular exercises, and eating healthy. But why not add another weapon to the arsenal?
Smiling is Infectious
Have you ever noticed when someone smiles at you, you smile back? Smiling doesn’t only help improve your mood. It can also spread joy to the people around you. How does this work? There’s some science behind the theory—Seeing another person smile activates the reward center of the brain, which causes them to smile.
These are a few of the medical and mental health benefits of smiling. It’s clear that a few muscle movements in your face can change your life. Change your life and improve another person’s mood today by smiling more.