🌼 It can boost the overall mood – your brain releases dopamine, endorphins and serotonin, which are known as your body “feel-good chemicals”’.
🌼Smiling is universal across culture – When we communicate with each other, the words we use, our tone and our body language all play a role in how we’re understood
🌼 Smiles are contagious - When someone smiles at you, you’re hard-wired to smile back.
🌼 There are different types of smiles – Leonard Rubin categorised three basic types of smiles in 1974, focusing on describing the appearance of the smiles themselves. Since then, more types of smiles have been discovered. People smile due to genuine happiness, be we’ll also smile to express sarcasm, discomfort, contempt, to feign happiness and many other reasons.
🌼 Smiling can help you in your personal and professional life - When you smile, you come across as friendlier, more trustworthy and even more confident. When you present an idea at work or speak to your boss, you’ll seem more competent.
🌼People who smile more often tend to live longer – Study has found that people who smile more and tend to be happier or more optimistic live longer lives- an average of seven or eight years longer than other people. These additional years tend to be marked by better health, too!
Impact of smiling on stress levels
The effects of a smile on stress are substantial. Even a forced smile can evoke a positive bodily reaction. An immediate sensation of relief and relaxation is felt, accompanied by a reduction in heart rate. ♥
◾ Smiling, even a compelled one, lowers cortisol, the hormone responsible for stress.
◾ The action of smiling initiates the release of endorphins which contribute to stress reduction
◾ A smile can decrease your heart rate, making you feel more at ease.
