There is nothing as near as captivating as a beautiful big smile. It radiates friendliness and can disarm a person with negative thoughts. It helps individuals to attract others and can help reduce another person’s nerves.
While you may be fully aware that when you smile you feel good, or vice versa, you may not know that there are some very real benefits to smiling. Not only does flashing those pearly whites give you a bit of lift and make other people smile back, but there are also genuine health benefits to smiling.
Looking after your teeth is an important part of general physical health, and if you are afraid to smile then you should visit your dentist straight away. It isn’t unusual to be afraid to smile, but it is often due to a dental problem that can be fixed easily.
Then, when you are ready to give a big grin in public again, you might appreciate these five health benefits of smiling.
Does smiling really have health benefits?
Smiling has some scientifically proven health benefits. Smiling boosts a person’s mood, and also their counterparts. This in turn helps to strengthen relationships.
What may be more surprising is that smiling can help reduce pain. Although this makes sense if you consider how people sometimes cannot stop laughing even though they have hurt themselves.
There is a very good reason why smiling and laughing can reduce pain, and it is the first health benefit on the list.
Smiling releases endorphins
Endorphins make people feel good. They get released during and after various activities including exercise. They help people to continue working out even when it is getting tough by reducing the discomfort that is felt and making it more enjoyable.
According to Healthline, the full purpose of endorphins is still not understood, however, they have many benefits including creating a sense of overall well-being, and reducing anxiety, and stress.
Smiling reduces blood pressure
High blood pressure is a serious health condition that can affect the body’s organs including the heart and eyes.
Heart disease and heart attack can be the result of untreated high blood pressure. Smiling though helps to reduce stress which helps to lower blood pressure.
Smiling may help you to live a longer life
One of the many benefits of seeing a dentist is having a beautiful smile, and one of the benefits of that is you may extend your life.
Although perhaps not entirely scientifically proven, research has shown that smiling can result in better health, and in theory, a longer life.
Smiling could improve immunity
There is a school of thought that suggests negative thoughts can lower the immune system, and positive ones improve it.
Smiling is believed by some to help raise the levels of antibodies which fight infections, and immune cells. It certainly can’t hurt to try.
Smiling can reduce anxiety and stress
As has already been mentioned, smiling can lower stress levels. The benefits are not all physical though. In this instance, smiling can also help with mental wellness.
There are around 40 million adults in America with an anxiety disorder. While many of them may not feel like smiling, it is known that it can help the feelings associated with anxiety.
Does that mean that laughing is also good for you?
Laughter has health benefits too, just as smiling does. Some of the benefits are very similar.
If you have ever laughed at an awkward situation, then that is your brain trying to relieve feelings of stress and anxiety. Laughter releases endorphins in the same way that smiling does.
What laughter also does though, is to stimulate organs such as the heart and lungs, and also muscles, because of the intake of oxygen.
Are there any other reasons to smile?
Quite simply, smiling makes a person look more attractive. If you smile more you are likely to appear more attractive and approachable than someone scowling or frowning.
Smiling also suggests confidence or even success. Smiling is good for strengthening bonds between co-workers, friends, and partners too. One other very good reason for smiling is that it is contagious.
It is very hard for someone to ignore a smile and not return it. One person entering a meeting or a room smiling can lift the mood of several others almost instantly.
Summary
There are other health benefits to smiling that are not listed here, but these are already pretty good reasons for flashing a smile more often.
If you have a good dentist that has made sure your pearly whites are in tip-top condition, then perhaps you should thank them. There are some good gifts for dentists on the internet including personalized mugs and even dentist bobbleheads.
Good dental work might deserve a little reward, after all, the smile you have is helping your health in many ways.
Throughout the year, our writers feature fresh, in-depth, and relevant information for our audience of 40,000+ healthcare leaders and professionals. As a healthcare business publication, we cover and cherish our relationship with the entire health care industry including administrators, nurses, physicians, physical therapists, pharmacists, and more. We cover a broad spectrum from hospitals to medical offices to outpatient services to eye surgery centers to university settings. We focus on rehabilitation, nursing homes, home care, hospice as well as men’s health, women’s heath, and pediatrics.
