By: S.C. Ali
Founder/Author
Smiling is one of the earliest and most basic facial expressions. It normally develops around six to eight weeks of age and indicates many emotions, the main one being happiness. Every day we hear or read in the news about so many depressing stories. Perhaps we have a bad day at work/school. Maybe our loved ones are causing us great social and emotional pain. However, it’s important to not give up on humanity and have a positive approach. Positivity will solve problems. It will bring people together towards peace and harmony. It has the power to mend relationships.
The key to smiling more often is to think of reasons to smile. First and foremost, being grateful for what you have can trigger a smile. Every morning and/or evening, take some time to think about the skills, talents, and possessions you have. Think of those who are not so fortunate, and be thankful. My article on Thanksgiving (see here) goes into a lot more detail about being grateful, so I highly suggest referring to it before continuing.
There are many health benefits in smiling. First, it releases endorphins. Endorphins are colloquially known as “happy hormones” that are released when you are engaged in an activity (for example working out) because they tend to reduce the perception of pain/stress, resulting in a euphoric state. Second, smiling can have an effect on oxytocin, a hormone that plays an important role in intimacy. Although the smile doesn’t have a direct effect, a study by Ellingsen et al. shows that smiling can lead to human touch, which has a direct correlation to oxytocin levels. The study demonstrated that subjects who were shown smiling faces were seen as, “more friendly and attractive” compared to frowning ones. Therefore, smiling can have an amplifying effect on human touch. Third, smiling can be helpful in coping with stress. A study by Kraft and Pressman showed that people who smiled had, “lower heart rates during stress recovery” than those who kept a neutral facial expression.
Many of us have heard the saying, “smiling is contagious.” A neuroimaging study by Wild et al. proves this to be true. The scientists in this study combined a functional MRI, which measures brain activity, with comprehension and implementation of facial expressions. They found a higher correlation of congruence when the subjects viewed a happy face compared to a neutral or sad one. In other words, when the subjects saw a happy face, there was a shorter time interval to mimic that facial expression compared to a frown or neutral facial expression.
Last but not least, it is very important for a smile to emanate from the heart. These kinds of smiles are the most sincere, and therefore can expand the health benefits of smiling. There are two types of smiling: smiling and Duchenne smiling. Duchenne smiling is more consistent with sincere smiling while smiling can be seen by some as “fake”. Duchenne smiling anatomically involves the zygomatic major muscle (raises the corners of the mouth) and orbicularis orbis muscle (squinting of the eyes), while smiling involves the former but not the latter. An authentic smile can help develop charisma and have other social benefits.
Overall, smiling is a powerful tool of social expression that can be used all of the time. The health benefits are many, the social outcome is favorable, and it doesn’t cost anything. We need people to smile more in the world. Everyone has their own hardships and burdens, but that doesn’t give us a reason to not smile. Be grateful for the good things you have in life (especially compared to others), and live, love, laugh. The next time you see a loved one or co-worker, smile upon first glance, and see for yourself what a difference it makes!
“Smile” lyrics by Uncle Kracker:
Bronze Lifestyle 
