“It takes fewer muscles to smile than to frown,” is something you may have heard before. It turns out that this isn’t entirely accurate. It takes more than ten muscles to smile and fewer than six to frown, so perhaps the phrase should be changed to “you burn more calories when you smile than when you frown.” Even though smiling may not be the easiest thing to do sometimes, especially after a stressful day, you’ll see that it’s more than just a face workout.
THE FEEDBACK LOOP BETWEEN SMILING AND HAPPINESS
In the 1800s, Charles Darwin was one of the first to propose what is now known as the “facial feedback hypothesis.” This is the idea that smiling can make you happier, and altering your facial expression may boost or even change your mood. Even a fake smile can trigger endorphins and make us feel better since smiling is so closely linked to the feeling of happiness in our brains. Endorphins are like natural painkillers that can help to decrease pain and relieve stress without causing negative side effects. So, the next time you’re having a terrible day, why not try smiling to see if it makes any difference?
SMILING CREATES A HEALTHIER IMMUNE SYSTEM
The short-term benefits of endorphins are great, but they don’t stop there! When we smile on a regular basis, it leads to long-term health advantages such as making us more resilient to illnesses and can help prevent particular kinds of cancer. This is because, when we manage our stress in healthier ways, this presents fewer stress-induced mutations in our cells.
SMILE MORE, LIVE LONGER
People tend to think that a smiling face is more attractive than one that is not smiling, and this isn’t just about appearances. We might accumulate enough health advantages from smiling to actually add to our lifespan. Being proud of your present-day smile and healthy teeth and gums is one approach to readily grin more. To achieve that, you’ll need excellent tooth brushing and flossing skills, as well as regular dental visits.
