A person’s smile is a key asset in both the social scene and the professional world because it helps them set others at ease, build trust, make friends, and close sales. Smiling is also tied to a variety of health benefits that can enhance one’s quality of life. Sadly, many people out there are shy about showing off their grins due to dental defects that could be addressed with cosmetic dentistry. Here are just a few of the ways smiling more can improve your overall health.
Smiling Elevates Mood and Relieves Stress
Even if you don’t feel like doing it, smiling can make it easier to maintain a positive outlook. Just as the human brain reflexively smiles when it has good feelings, it will also start to feel good as a result of smiling. This can help lift a person’s spirits or take the edge off of a stressful situation. To make things even better, smiling promotes the release of your body’s natural painkillers like endorphins and serotonin, meaning it can reduce physical discomfort as well. Smiling despite yourself can serve as a natural antidepressant.
Smiling Can Extend Your Lifespan
Some studies have found that genuine smiling may lead to a longer life. Smiling makes you feel better about yourself, which incentivizes you to take better care of your health. Since wearing a grin has a relaxing effect on the body, it can help your immune system work more efficiently to help ward off infections that can take their toll over time.
Smiling Helps You Socialize
People who smile generously are generally seen as friendlier, more approachable, more trustworthy, and more confident by the people around them, making it a great way to meet people, be more persuasive, and make the people around you feel more comfortable. This has the benefit of making you more attractive, as it gives others the impression that you have many positive personality traits. This can help you make that great first impression during a job interview or even win a promotion at work.
Smiling is also contagious, meaning that you can help spread all of these benefits to the people around you simply by doing it. When you think of it that way, smiling can even be a sort of public service.
About the Author
Dr. Colin Holman earned his dental degree at the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry before serving as dental director at the Kickapoo Tribal Health Center in McLoud, OK. He is a proud member of the American Dental Association, the Oklahoma Dental Association, and the Academy of General Dentistry. His office in Oklahoma City, OK offers general, restorative, emergency, and cosmetic dentistry. To learn more about how you can enhance your smile, contact his office online or dial (405) 735-6600.
