Blog Post

8 Surprising Health Benefits of Smiling

Family Dentistry & Implant Center • December 13, 2021

Did you know that smiling can make your health better? Read this article to learn how smiling benefits your overall health.

smiling benefits

At least 36 million people in the United States, have no teeth! This can make smiling a challenge, fortunately, there are several solutions available to create a beautiful smile.

   

Smiling is something that comes naturally to most of us. If you are feeling joy about a particular situation, then the first thing that may come to your face is a smile. 



Most of the time when you smile it just happens naturally. However, there are times when it may be intentional. You may not be aware that this simple act can have several benefits for your health. Here is a look at some of the top smiling benefits.

1. It May Help You Live Longer

Studies have shown that smiling and staying happy helps improve your health. Smiling a lot and staying in a positive mood can impact you and lead to a healthier lifestyle. A healthy lifestyle leads to longevity.

2. Enjoy Stress Relief

Smiling can relieve your stress. Stress is something that can destroy the cells in your body and it can take a toll on your appearance. Smiling not only helps you to look good but it can also help relieve your anxiety and stress.



The surprising thing is that whether your smile is real or you force it when you are stressed it can have a positive impact.

3. Improve Heart Health

A healthy heart is one of the health benefits of smiling. This is because endorphins are released when you smile and this increases blood flow throughout the body. 



Smiling can lower your stress hormones. The main stress hormones are adrenaline and cortisol. All of these are quickly reduced when you smile and laugh.

4. Regulate Your Blood Pressure

Regulation of your blood pressure is something that can be achieved by smiling more. Here's how it works, neuropeptides are needed for your nerve cells to communicate. 


These peptides are responsible for releasing what are known as happy chemicals in your brain. These happy chemicals are endorphins and serotonin. 


If you exercise you probably know that endorphins are released when you do a workout and this is why exercise can leave you feeling stress-free. When you smile the transmitters are released throughout your body and this helps you to relax. 



It not only regulates your blood pressure but your heart rate as well.

5. Improve Your Immune System

Improving your immune system is a smiling benefit. Smiling will release serotonin in the body and this will give you a sense of peacefulness and happiness.


This sense of well-being will flood your entire body. Serotonin will boost your immune system and make it easier for you to fight off disease and infections.


The sense of peacefulness and happiness that you get from the release of serotonin can improve your interaction with others. Improving your relationships with others can have a positive impact on your overall health and well-being too. 


People will be more drawn to you as you smile more and relax. You can also remove tension from a stressful situation when you smile.



A smile is a very effective way of pulling people to you for friendship or for attracting a romantic relationship because a smile makes people feel that you are more trustworthy.

6. Reduce Pain

One of the main benefits of smiling is that it helps reduce pain. When you smile endorphins are released and natural pain relievers are dispersed throughout the body. 


When these chemicals are working together they will make you start feeling better. This feeling will spread throughout your body and it can help to reduce pain.



The bottom line is that the chemicals that are produced will enhance your mood and bring relaxation. Once this happens your pain will be diminished.

7. Change Your Mindset

Smiling can help to improve your psychological health because smiling helps to shift your mental focus away from what is affecting you negatively and allows you to focus on something positive.



This is why smiling is such an effective tool for battling depression. The act of smiling coupled with laughing will significantly increase your mental health.

8. Rewire Your Brain

One of the major benefits of smiling is that it can rewire your brain. Your brain can rewire itself naturally, and smiling acts as a catalyst to help it do that.


When you smile more frequently and increase your positivity you are sending signals to the brain that it's time to change the way it is behaving. You are sending your brain a message that says positivity is the ideal way to look at life. 



This means you should make sure that you are smiling consistently and making an effort to find things to smile about.

The Impact of Smiling Benefits

As you can see a smile not only makes you look more attractive but it also has several health benefits as well. A smile can go a long way in improving your overall health and your general well-being.

 

Once you take the time to consciously make an effort to smile more and do the things that make you smile, you will reap the smiling benefits discussed here.


It is often the simplest thing that can make the biggest difference. This is why you need to ensure that you take care of your smile. Ensure you are visiting your dentist at least once a year so that any problems with your smile can be identified and corrected. 


If you would like dental help from, a dentist in Ashburn VA, please do not hesitate to contact us.

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