When you look around you at the people you see, are they smiling? Probably not; most people are so intent on focusing on their next project or task that they forget to do this simple thing, and that’s a shame. It’s a shame because smiling has a number of benefits, both regarding physical health and mental health, and everyone should try to do it more, even if it does take a little practice. Here are some excellent reasons to smile more.
Endorphins Are Released
When you smile, your body releases neurotransmitters called endorphins. It’s an automatic response that is triggered by the muscles used to smile: your brain understands what those muscles are doing, and the chemicals are released. That makes us feel even happier than we did before, which is why once we start smiling it can be hard to stop sometimes.
What’s interesting is that faking a smile or even laughing has the same effect, the same muscles are being used, and the brain isn’t able to tell what’s real and what isn’t. That means you can force yourself into feeling better by having a fake smile which should soon turn into a real one. Of course, some people are worried about smiling because they’re not confident about their teeth; congenitally missing teeth cause self-esteem problems, for example. This is a problem that can easily be fixed by a professional, so it shouldn’t be something to worry about for much longer.
Endorphins don’t just make us feel happy; they actively reduce stress too. The more endorphins you have in your body, the less cortisol (the stress hormone) you have. On top of that, endorphins are natural pain management, so laughing off a bump or graze makes it hurt less!
Your Lungs Expand
Smiling often leads to laughter, and laughter is an excellent way of exercising your lung muscles. The lungs expand the more you laugh, and that means you can take in more oxygen, stimulating homeostasis, which is the body’s way of keeping your important elements such as water and temperature at a stable level.
Unburden Yourself
Keeping your problems locked up inside is an unhealthy way to live as you will be more stressed and tense. It can lead to both physical problems and mental health issues. Sometimes it’s not possible to talk to someone about what is wrong, even though this is the best advice we can offer, and if that is the case then laughing as much as possible even if you don’t feel like it can help as well. It is an effective way to release emotions which is why sometimes laughing leads to crying without us even realizing what is happening.
Smiling Gives People A Good Impression Of You
When you smile, people are more likely to think of you as a good person, someone they can trust and be friends with. That can be good for your self-esteem, and it also helps in social and business situations. Smiling has so many benefits that it is essential we all start doing it more as soon as possible.
