Want to improve your life? Start with a smile. It may sound simplistic, and you may already have read writings on this theory, but smiling more can contribute to your own personal growth and success. Think of smiling as an investment in yourself. Smiling can improve your mood, health, appearance, relationships, and even your career.
According to the facial feedback hypothesis, facial expressions can affect a person’s emotions. In other words, when you smile, you improve your mood. A smile causes physiological changes within the body. It cools your blood, making you feel happier. Endorphins and Serotonin are released; elevating your mood and helping you feel calm and relaxed. Endorphins also act as a natural pain killer.
This feeling of relaxation benefits your physical health. When your body is more relaxed, your immune system is stronger, reducing your risks for illnesses such as colds and the flu. One study suggests that smiling, in addition to reducing stress, may help the heart. Official paper reports that study participants who were instructed to smile had lower heart rates after recovering from a stressful event, such as plunging a hand into a bucket of ice water. The effect was greatest when the smile was genuine, but even participants who held chopsticks in their mouths so their muscles were forced hold a smiling position had lower heart rates than participants with neutral facial expressions.
If you want to improve your appearance, smiling can help. One study suggests that smiling can shave years off your appearance. Study participants looked at photos and judged smiling people to be an average of two years younger than photos of the same people with frowns or neutral expressions. One reason suggested for this finding is that smiling creates temporary wrinkles around the eyes and mouth, making it harder to tell if the person smiling has permanent wrinkles in those areas. Smiling also serves as an instant face lift, as the muscles used in smiling lift the face.
We’ve all heard smiling is contagious, but there is scientific evidence writing which supports this fact. Scientists in Sweden found that study participants had difficulty frowning at pictures of smiling people. Their facial muscles kept trying to smile on their own in response to the picture. This is why it’s so difficult to keep a straight face when everyone around you is smiling. It’s an easy way to “pay it forward”. When you smile at someone, you pass the benefits of smiling along to them, and they may return the favor to someone else. This also draws people to you. People enjoy being around someone who smiles and seems happy and relaxed.
Want a promotion? A smile may help you get one. According to scientific essay at pickthebrain.com, “smiles make a person seem more attractive, sociable and confident, and people who smile more are more likely to get a promotion.” Smiling makes you seem more approachable and helps people trust you. If you are a manager, smiling may impact your employees’ performance. In a job interview, you may be perceived to be easier to work with if you smile more. If you’re competing against an equally qualified candidate, smiling may land you the job.
The benefits of smiling are cumulative. When you smile, you feel happier and more contented, which lowers your stress. Because smiling is contagious, people are drawn to you and tend to enjoy your company, which makes them want to keep being around you. This may increase your confidence and help you meet other goals, such as improving your relationships, landing your dream job or earning a raise or a promotion. All of these things give you more reasons to smile!
- by Kimberly Brownie
For some great quotes on smiling, see:
http://positivethinkersjournal.blogspot.com/2009/01/smile.html
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