National Smile Month runs from mid-May to mid-June, and during this time the Oral Health Foundation runs a campaign to promote the benefits of oral health and a healthy smile.
The American motivational speaker William A. Ward said “A warm smile is the universal language of kindness” – but a smile not only benefits the recipient, apparently there are many benefits for the smiler too! For example, real mental and physical benefits.
When you smile, your brain releases mood-boosting neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins, and lowers cortisol levels. This can lift your mood and help you feel happier and more relaxed. From reducing stress to boosting your immune system, smiling can make a big difference in your overall well-being.
A smile is also a natural antidepressant, activating pathways in your brain that influence your emotional state. It activates areas of the brain linked to empathy and bonding, which improves social relationships.
Also, happy people seem to enjoy better health and longevity – though more research is needed to understand how and why.
The physical act of smiling activates pathways in your brain that influence your emotional state—meaning that by adopting a happy facial expression, you can “trick” your mind into entering a state of happiness. So even a “fake” smile can work!
A genuine smile is referred to as a Duchenne smile, named after the 19th-century French neurologist Guillaume Duchenne who studied and mapped facial muscle contractions. Where a fake smile only engages the mouth muscles, a genuine smile engages the muscles that control the corners of the mouth, those that lift your cheeks, and the muscles that cause the eyes to crinkle (often described as “smizing” – smiling with the eyes).
A genuine smile can influence how other people see you as it makes you seem trustworthy and generous, which may make people respond positively to you in a variety of settings.
But smiling can be hard to do if you’re having a bad day or just are not in the right mood, so here are a couple of tips on how to smile more…
- Watching something funny: Look for moments of humour in your everyday life, whether it’s something humorous your kids said or a funny video you saw online.
- Practice gratitude: Spend a few moments each day writing down what you are grateful for. Thinking about these moments can give you a great reason to smile.
- Do something you enjoy: Spend some time doing something you love, whether it’s hiking, reading a book, or engaging in your favourite pastime.
- Take a walk outside: Spending more time outdoors can be a great way to improve mood and make it easier to find a reason to smile.
And for our more senior citizens, according to Mark Twain (1835 – 1910),
“Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been!”
Take care and stay safe
