Did you know that by simply smiling you can make yourself and others around feel better? It’s been shown that smiling not only positively affects your mood it can have a profound effect on those close to you. Smiling is good for both your emotional state as well as your body.

When you smile something chemically happens inside the body that affects your mood. The neurotransmitters called endorphins are triggered to be released when you make a smile. Muscles in your face, when moved by a smile, tell your brain to release the endorphins resulting in a more relaxed and happier mood. Even if you fake a smile the results are the same. Your brain still releases the same chemicals which is called facial feedback hypothesis. Meaning whether you feel like smiling or not, when you do smile the brain will always send out endorphins to make you feel happier.

A smile on your face not only makes you happier it also has the same positive effects on others. It’s been documented that smiling on a regular basis makes you look more relaxed, attractive, and confident when perceived by others. When you smile it activates the part of your brain that processes sensory rewards. This in turn makes others feel rewarded simply by seeing you smile. When someone smiles at you the natural reaction is to smile back, and when this happens each person’s brain is rewarded. A smile is contagious.

Smiling makes you and those around feel better, but how can you smile more in your daily life? There are many simple things you can do to ensure your infectious smile is a more consistent part of your day. For one, you can enjoy funny books, movies, and shows more regularly. Negative content can be just that, Negative. Depressing programs can bring you down. So can negative people. Make an effort to be around people who make you smile and laugh. As mentioned earlier smiles are infectious and being around those who make you smile will not only elevate your mood but also theirs. Just smile more. Your brain won’t know the difference, plus it takes way more energy to frown.

Sources:

7 Benefits of Smiling and Laughing that you didn’t know about.
by Lifehack.org