Do you want to stay healthy? Smile. Do you want to live longer? Smile again. While laughing and smiling may be an involuntary act emanating from joy or happiness, psychologists submit that smiling may also be a conscious and intentionally act, meaning one can force a smile or a laugh. Daily Times take a closer look at some of the benefits of smiling.
1 Smile can help you live longer. A study by scientists found that genuine smiling is associated with longer life. In addition, the more you smile the better the health and longevity. Scientists also claim that maintaining a positive mood is an important part of a healthy life. So, if you want to live longer, smile often.
2. Smiling relieves stress: Often, people suffering from anxiety and stress are easily identifiable by facial expression. Forcing a smile can not only help us from looking tired and overwhelmed, but it can also help reduce stress. It is therefore advisable that when one is stressed, he or she should intentionally try put a smile on his face as it improves managing stress.
3. Smiling elevates mood. Phycologists claim that smiling can make someone feel happy even if there is no reason to be happy. It is believed that the physical act of smiling activates pathways in your brain that influence your emotional state. Thus, adopting a happy facial expression can ‘trick’ your mind into entering a state of happiness. It triggers the release of neuropeptides that improve your natural communication.
4. Smiling is contagious. This simple means that smile can affect the next person and can light up your environment. It can change the mood of others. Research suggests that the brain automatically notices and interprets other people’s facial expressions and may even mimic them. One can spot someone else smiling and unconsciously smile as well.
5. Smile can Boost the immune system. It has been proved that smiling can help your immune system to function more effectively. This is so because, according to scientists, when one smiles, the immune function improves because you will be relaxed.
6. Smiling May lower blood pressure: If you have blood pressure, you can try this concept yourself by taking a reading. Then smile and take another reading while smiling and you will notice the difference.
7. Smiling can reduce pain. Studies have also shown that smiling reduces pain by releasing endorphins. These brain chemicals make one feel good and elevate one’s mood by relaxing the body at the same time reducing pain. Smiling is a natural drug.
8. Smiling makes one look attractive. Naturally, people are obsessed with attractiveness. Similarly, negative facial expressions like grimaces and frown faces scare people. A more positive personality is associated with a smile. Besides, smiling can make one look more youthful as the muscles we use to smile lift the face to look younger. So instead of trying artificial make up, a smile will perfectly do better.
9. Smiling create better relationships: A renowned author, William Arthur once said, ‘ A warm smile is the universal language of kindness’. In other words, smiling and laughter produce social bonds and studies have confirmed that most romantic couples say their relationships were born out of a smile the first time they met. Smile and laughter communicate that two people are part of something together, therefore, smile strengthen a relationship.
10. Smile enhances productivity at work. Another author, Jessica Pryce-Jones said happiness at work is closely corelated with a greater performance and productivity as well as greater energy, better reviews, faster promotion, higher income, better health and increased happiness with life’. She adds that the happier a worker felt, the more productive he or she is. Smiling and happy workers are more energized.
Force a smile, find humour, engage in social activities or even smile at yourself for you have every reason to smile.
By Desmond Nleya, Daily News
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