Something as simple as a smile can boost your health. The great thing is you don’t have to spend a single penny to take this simple action. Other health-centric things such as doctor visits, dental checkups, supplements, gym memberships, and prescriptions cost money. Smiling doesn’t require digging into your wallet; all you have to do is make it genuine and it’ll be good for yourself and others around you.
Physical Benefits of Smiling
By smiling more, you can reduce your heart rate. It also leads to a temporary reduction in blood pressure. The less strain on the heart, the more you prevent it from being overworked, so you could lower your risk of developing heart disease later on.
Stress leads to many different health problems. Smiling can provide stress relief because it causes endorphins to be released into the body. They counteract the stress hormones and diminish their presence, so you feel better. In fact, your overall mood can be improved and perhaps a smile can turn your entire day around.
When the body is relaxed, the immune system is strengthened. The relaxing effects of smiling can therefore boost your immunity and help ward off infections and disease. Since smiling is so good for heart health, immunity, and stress reduction, it may help you live longer; one study concluded people can live around seven years longer by smiling more often.
Smiling and Your Mental Health
Attention span can be improved by smiling, which is the opposite effect of stress. A person’s perception and attention are limited when they’re stressed out. When this is reversed, one can improve their perception and even engage in multitasking.
Your emotional state can also be improved. Feelings of regret can be avoided, even if they are just for not smiling when talking to someone. A smile also provides relief from embarrassment and produces empathy. It can simply break the ice if you did something embarrassing or reduce negative thoughts about another person’s impression of your mistake.
A Smile Literally Brightens Your Day
Lift your face with a smile and you will look younger. Smiles are also contagious, and can encourage other people to trust you and believe in your confidence. That can help in business and even earn you higher raises, but people may find you more attractive in your personal life as well. By simply smiling more, you can spur on many positive changes in your life.
