The Power of a Smile

Smiling, not the kind where you've been asked to smile by some schmoozy guy, but the act of it—the lift the corners, feel the boost kind of smile (even if you don't mean it) is actually beneficial to your well-being and can help improve our outlook on life. It turns out that this simple action not only makes us feel better in reality, but it's infectious and can make other people feel at ease in our presence, too. If boosting others isn't reason enough to smile, research has also found that smiling may help lower your blood pressure and heart rate.

Smiling may have more power than we realize. Besides helping other people feel at ease in our presence, there are actually health benefits that come from unleashing a smile. Discover why it's a practice you should start today, even if you have to fake it at first.

The Health Benefits Behind Smiling

Smiling may be good for heart health. The practice can reduce stress and may help lower blood pressure. A study found that individuals who smiled after taking part in a stressful activity had lower heart rates than their non-smiling counterparts.

Surprisingly, researchers also found that smiles did not have to be genuine to be of value. Although those who expressed genuine smiles did have lower heart rates after stressful activities, everyone who smiled benefited in comparison to those who kept a neutral expression. This tells us that just the mere act of smiling can have an effect on the body's stress response, even if the person secretly felt unsure about smiling.

The Brain and Smiling

The act of smiling releases feel-good-hormones, such as dopamine and endorphins. Serotonin is another mood elevator that is present, and it can act as an antidepressant. Every time you smile, these hormones are released, allowing you to get the benefit of a feel-good rush. It's suggested then, that even when you don't feel like smiling, doing so anyway may help improve your mood and change your overall outlook.

The Psychological Pull of Smiling

Smiling and sharing your smile with others can do wonders in just about any setting. There are theories that claim most people look their best when they smile. By smiling at strangers, we put our best foot forward. This could be especially helpful in the case of a first date or a job interview. Smiling shows others that we're friendly. Even if we don't actually engage with them, we could have a positive effect on someone's day, just by flashing them a smile.

Given that smiling can help make a positive difference in our day, especially following stressful activities, it makes sense that even if we have to fake it until we feel it, we can still improve our mood by passing on the positive feelings to everyone around us—and then absorbing them back in as they reflect back to us so that we all feel better.

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