“It takes fewer muscles to smile than to frown!”
Or so they say.
We still have yet to determine exactly how many muscles it takes to smile, but we can agree that it feels rotten to have a bad day. Thus, we all have different ways to deal with it.
That said, it may only take a simple smile to turn that frown upside down! Smiling comes with several health benefits, too.
Learn more about the benefits of a smile below, because who wouldn’t want to be healthier with just a single facial expression?
The Types of Smiles
We can boil smiles down to different types: spontaneous, social, and emotional.
The spontaneous smile happens automatically. Find that joke funny? The spontaneous smile has your back.
Jokes and the like all activate our brain’s reward center to release dopamine.
The social smile comes into play when we interact with other people. We smile for various reasons, sometimes genuinely, other times politely. The social smile explains these often nuanced expressions.
The emotional smile occurs when we genuinely feel happy or express joy. Our eyes crinkle and twinkle with delight, here.
Benefits of a Smile
Some people love to smile so much that you might want to give them a Smile Makeover (which then leads to them asking, what is a Smile Makeover?). Regardless, we should find many reasons to smile because it affects both our physical and mental health.
Stress Relief
Smiling relieves stress. It triggers neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine. These can serve as natural antidepressants or painkillers.
Our body releases endorphins whenever we experience pleasure from something we enjoy.
Lower Blood Pressure
High blood pressure can lead to a plethora of health problems. Smiles and laughter may elevate heart rate and thus the oxygen our body brings in. As a result, it might lower the risk for heart disease.
Better Social Interaction
Smiling makes us more approachable. It indicates friendliness and warmth towards people. Smiles show people you care about them or what they have to say.
They help you foster support, connection, and belonging with loved ones. Smiling boosts our self-esteem, our confidence, and our mental health as a whole.
Things to Improve Smiles
Basic hygiene like brushing your teeth at least twice daily and flossing go a long way. However, we can level up our smiles with some simple procedures.
For example, teeth whitening, dentures, and veneers all contribute to a happier, healthier smile.
Teeth whitening helps remove stains from various substances (like coffee) throughout our life. Dentures assist with structure, chewing, and overall confidence. Veneers clean up teeth’s appearance with custom shells to better shape, size, and color.
The Importance of Smiling
Overall, we’ve discovered many benefits of a smile. The benefits of smiling and laughing all improve our mood, health, and confidence.
Give someone a reason to smile today.
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