“A good smile shows how happy the soul is.” — African Proverb

I think we all know of the instant beauty enhancing effect that a smile has on people, no matter their gender, race or nationality. Did you know that the simple act of smiling can be the best gift that you can give to your body and health?

Smiling comes naturally to us. When we are happy about something. When we see something we like. When we feel connected with someone or something. It is one of our body’s most natural responses. Think of it like this. As babies we used to smile at least 400 times a day. And not just because we were super proud of our toothless grin. We just were happy and we knew it and we were not afraid to show it. Whereas as adults, even if you are extremely happy, you are most likely to smile 40, maximum 50 times a day. The stats for an average adult show that we smile only around 20 times a day. In a study conducted in the UK, it was found that a single smile is much more effective in making you feel good about yourself than chocolate, sex and money combined. Now before you start grumbling about this being some new age mumbo jumbo, here are few hard facts for you.

Ever had someone tell you to cheer up and smile? It is probably not the most welcomed advice, especially when you are feeling sick, tired or just plain down in the dumps. But there is actually a good reason to turn that frown upside down, corny as it sounds. Science has shown that the mere act of smiling can lift your mood, lower stress, boost your immune system and possibly even prolong your life.

It would appear to be a pretty backwards idea. Happiness is what makes us smile; how can the reverse also be true? The fact is, as neurologist, Dr. Isha Gupta explains, a smile spurs a chemical reaction in the brain, releasing certain hormones including dopamine and serotonin. “Dopamine increases our feelings of happiness. Serotonin release is associated with reduced stress. Low levels of serotonin are associated with depression and aggression,” said Dr. Gupta.

The good news is, just by smiling you can trick your brain into believing you are happy which can then spur actual feelings of happiness. “What’s crazy is that just the physical act of smiling can make a difference in building your immunity,” says Dr. Grossan. “When you smile, the brain sees the muscle [activity] and assumes that humor is happening.”  In a sense, the brain is a sucker for a grin. It does not bother to sort out whether you are smiling because you’re genuinely joyous, or because you are just pretending. Apparently, even forcing a fake smile can legitimately reduce stress and lower your heart rate. Now, let’s look at the benefits of smiling:

Improves Mood. Smiling can immediately take your mood from negative to positive. Even if you do not genuinely feel like smiling, just the physical act of doing so can cause your body to release feel-good neurotransmitters that can instantly boost your mood. Smiling regularly can help to combat feelings of depression, lower levels of stress, and provide a broad array of other benefits. Taking the steps to smile more frequently can help to ensure that you remain in a far more positive mindset.

Rewire Your Brain. The brain has the incredible capability of changing and rewiring itself based on experiences that it has regularly. When you smile frequently, you can improve your positivity. When this is done often enough, it can rewire the brain to make positivity your new standard. If you smile regularly, you can help to ensure that positivity becomes a more permanent state of your life.

Aids in Better Relationships. The relationships that you form with other people tend to have a large impact on your mental and emotional health. When you smile frequently, you are increasing the positivity of others around you. Smiling also indicates that you are more approachable, which increases your capacity to meet new people. Smiling increases your appearance of trustworthiness. This can further help to form better relationships with the other people in your life.

Reduce Stress and Release Negative Emotions. Stress and negative emotions are a common part of life. These emotions can lead to physical health problems, so it is important to take whatever steps possible to manage your levels of stress. Smiling regularly helps to reduce stress levels, due to the neurotransmitters that the body releases when you smile.