woman in turtleneck sweater
Do you want to be healthier?   How can you accomplish this?  Exercising five times a week?  Eating plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains? Getting more sleep?  These all are vital to reach optimum health.  Did you ever think that SMILING could also make you healthier?  Well, it sure can.  Yes, smiling makes you healthier.  Here are five ways in which your smile can lead to better overall health.

  1. Smiling improves your mood.  Try this:  the next time that things aren’t exactly going your way, force yourself to smile.  It may seem silly at first, but trust me, smiling will change your mood.  Endorphins are released when you are smiling, which lifts your spirit.  You can also lift the mood of the people around you because smiling is contagious.  What do you have to lose, besides a bad mood?  Give smiling a try.
  2. Smiling lowers heart rate and it temporarily lowers blood pressure.  When someone is smiling, their body tends to relax.  This more relaxing state aids in slowing the heart rate and lowering blood pressure.  Believe it or not, people who smile a lot are less likely to have heart disease.
  3. Smiling can strengthen your immune system.  White blood cells help in fighting off illness and smiling aids your body into producing more of these little fighters.  Studies have shown that pediatric hospitals that have storytellers and clowns visit the children had great results in the patients having higher white blood cell counts than the patients with similar illnesses at hospitals that didn’t have the storytellers and clowns.  Just some laughing and smiling can make a big difference.
  4. Want to lower stress and anxiety?  Try smiling.  When you are in a stressful situation, give smiling a try.  It sounds totally crazy to smile when things aren’t going as smoothly as planned or you are met with obstacles, but it has been proven that a simple smile can lower your heart rate, which in turn, lowers your anxiety level.
  5. Smiling, in a round about way, can improve your oral health.  You want to smile more to improve your mood and lower your stress.  Whey you have a beautiful smile with clean teeth, healthy gums and fresh breath, you want to smile even more.  It’s a continuous circle:  keep your mouth healthy so you are proud of your smile and smiling makes you healthier.These are just five reasons to smile more.  Sure, smiling is easy when you hear a funny joke or story or you watch children playing, but smiling is not so easy in stressful or mundane settings.  Do an experiment and just see if smiling improves the situation.  Heck, a genuine smile even improves the muscle tone in your face.  Now, that’s something to SMILE about!!!  For more information on ways to improve your smile, check this out.  https://www.raymondsheridandds.com/blog/quick-and-easy-tips-to-improve-your-smile