Finding Happiness: The Benefits of Smiling
Finding Happiness: The Benefits of Smiling
Most of us think of smiling as simply a social nicety or an automatic response to an enjoyable finding happiness or pleasant experience. However, modern science has discovered that it is much more than that. Smiling causes a number of biological responses in the body that can enhance health and well-being, and the benefits of smiling are most pronounced in those who flash a wide, uninhibited smile.
So if you avoid smiling due to missing teeth or other dental problems, it isn’t just a cosmetic issue, it can impact physical, emotional and mental health.
Finding Happiness – Smiling and Mood
Smiling isn’t just an expression of happiness, it can actually trigger it. Smiling activates specific facial muscles that signal the emotional centers of the brain that all is well. This causes your body to release endorphins, which are neurotransmitters that make us feel more relaxed and cheerful. Even a false smile stimulates this reaction, so if you start the day in a bad mood, forcing a smile can help you change your day for the better.
Finding Happiness – Smiling and Stress
Chronic stress has been shown to have a wide range of detrimental health effects. Stress triggers the release of stress hormones in the body. In chronic stress, these hormones are present in high levels for prolonged periods of time, a situation that can cause issues that include elevated blood pressure, cardiac stress, higher blood glucose levels, memory loss, depression and impaired immune system function, among many others. The endorphins released by smiling have been shown to relieve stress and reduce stress-related health symptoms, lowering blood pressure, improving respiratory and cardiac function and enhancing the activity of vital immune cells.
Social Benefits of Smiling
People who have active social lives have been proven to have healthier, happier and longer lives than those that don’t, and people who smile tend to have more productive social lives. Smiling is a vital form of non-verbal communication, forming a connection between individuals that reduces feelings of anxiety and aggression, encouraging social interaction. In a number of studies, people with the widest smiles have been shown to have longer and more fulfilling personal relationships, have more successful careers, and be perceived as more attractive and confident than those with weak smiles.
As you can see, the benefits of smiling extend well beyond the superficial. Smiling is good for your body from head to toe, and since smiling is contagious, wearing one will not only make you happier and healthier, it will help everyone around you towards those worthy goals as well.
If you’re in the Indianapolis area and have missing teeth or other dental problems that make you hesitate to share your smile with the world, come see Dr. Falender for a consultation. As a highly-qualified, board certified oral surgeon, Dr. Falender offers real solutions to those issues that prevent you from taking full advantage of the benefits of smiling. Dental implants, for instance, which offer tooth replacement that is leaps and bounds ahead of traditional options, like dentures or bridging, in terms of oral health and attractive, natural looking results. Come in and see us, we can help.