Anyone can smile, but many people aren’t smiling as often as they should. This is too bad. Smiling can do a lot for you, and it feels great, too.
Think of all the people you know and how much they smile. What do the people that smile a lot have in common? What about the people that rarely smile?
Smiling is free, pleasurable, and benefits you and those around you.
Smiling has a lot of benefits, many of which may surprise you:
1. Smiling releases endorphins. Smiling makes you feel good. Studies have shown that you can uplift your attitude and perception of a negative situation just by smiling.
- You can test this yourself. Put a big genuine smile on your face and notice how your mood changes. You have more control over your emotions and your mood than you think. Smiling is a simple tool to affect how you feel.
2. Smiling makes others smile. When you smile, other people smile, too. When you make others smile, they feel good. When you make them feel good, they like you. You get the picture. When you smile it benefits others, and those benefits flow back to you.
3. Smiling boosts your confidence. You feel more confident when you smile. You have a better outlook on your circumstances and yourself. This can definitely give your confidence a boost. Greater self-confidence lifts your performance ceiling. You have greater potential when you have more confidence.
4. Smiling enhances your social life. You’re more approachable when you smile. People are more interested in getting to know you if you appear to be a happy person. You can find yourself with more friends, dates, and social opportunities.
5. Smiling can make you resistant to illness. Smiling has been shown to boost your immune system. You’re less likely to catch a cold, the flu, or a variety of other ailments if you smile. Cancer is often linked to immune function, too. Smile and be healthy.
6. Smiling makes you better looking! People will rate you as more attractive when you’re smiling versus when you’re not. Smile, and discover what it does for your love life. You’ll be more than pleased with the results!
7. Smiling lowers stress. Stress makes you miserable. Stress is hard on your mind and body. The more you smile, the less stressed you’ll feel. Who wants to feel stress?
8. Smiling makes others trust you more. People that smile are considered to be more trustworthy. Try it out and see for yourself. Also, consider the people you know that smile a lot. Do you trust them more or less than those whom you rarely see a smile?
9. Smiling enhances productivity and creativity. Numerous studies have demonstrated that smiling increases your productivity. You get more accomplished when you’re in a good mood.
- You’re also more creative when you smile. You can find more effective solutions to challenges. Your artistic side will be enhanced if you smile more.
Smiling has scientifically proven benefits. Hopefully, you see the value of smiling and are motivated to smile more easily and more often. There’s nothing to be gained by maintaining a stoic expression all of the time.
Take a moment to repeat the short exercise from the beginning of this article. Think about everyone you know and how much they smile. What do the frequent smilers have in common? What about those that smile infrequently? How do your observations compare to the information presented above?
Smile more and observe the many benefits. You have nothing to lose but your bad mood! A genuine smile has a power all its own.