10 Good Reasons to Smile Today!
How often do you smile in a day? Do you smile when you meet new people? When you see your friends? Around your co-workers? How about your significant other? Your face has 44 muscles in it that allow you make more than 5,000 different types of expressions, many of which are smiles.
Have you every heard the quip “It takes more muscles to frown than smile”? It seems truth is behind this statement, and there are many other benefits that accompany the resolution to smile more than just an attractive face.
From a longer life span to increased odds of making more friends, 10 of many reasons to smile more follow:
1. Smiling makes us more attractive – People who smile seem more attractive than those who don’t smile. In a poll, 86% of individuals admitted they are more likely to strike up conversation with a stranger when they are smiling. A light happiness surrounds those that smile, and apparently can boost one’s odds of making new friends! A smile really helps bring others close to you.
2. Smiling exudes positivity – When we see someone unhappy and depressed, sometimes words are not enough to soothe them. A smile often helps a lot to improve their outlook and their feeling that things will get better.
3. Smiling is infectious – Try smiling at people, and you will see them smiling back at you. There is a certain magic that fills the air when someone smiles at you. It somehow changes the mood of others around us.
4. Smiling reduces stress – Our emotions usually show on our faces, and when we are stressed or worried we often frown. Smiling helps uplift our spirits and allows us to look at the world in a positive way.
5. A smile can brighten another person’s day – “When you’re smilin’, the whole world smiles with you.” Ever heard that song, made famous by Louis Armstrong? Well, it’s true. Research shows that smiling is contagious. Ever been around someone who just had something fantastic happen to him or her? Isn’t it almost impossible not to feel good, too? Studies show that
something as simple as seeing a friend smile can activate the muscles in your face to make that same expression, without you even being aware that you are doing it. Crazy, right?
6. Smiling can lift up our faces and make us look younger – Stress often shows on our faces. When we frown, there is a high probability that we will develop wrinkles and small lines on our faces that make us look older. The muscles we use to smile lift the face, making a person appear younger. Don’t go for a face lift, just try smiling your way through the day — you’ll look younger and feel better.
7. Smiling is a natural drug – Smiling releases endorphins and serotonin in our bodies which are known to help us feel good naturally.
8. Smiling denotes forgiveness and openness to forgive – When we have a spat with someone, or when we are not on good terms with someone, it is difficult to smile. A smile is gesture that signals to others that we are open to forgive and/or ask for forgiveness.
9. Smiling allows us to appear self-confident – People who smile usually have good reasons for doing so. They are more approachable and easy to deal with. People are drawn to them naturally.
10. Smiling brings us closer to our friends and family – Who wants to be with people who are always unhappy? No one. It is okay to be unhappy sometimes since it is normal when we are in situations that we cannot help but be unhappy. However, people often are drawn to those who have a good outlook on life. They know that even if life is not perfect, smiling somehow sends the message that life is good!
Smiling is . There are so many health benefits that we can derive from a simple smile!