Smile and the world smiles with you.. as the old saying goes, implies that smiling can be infectious, and if you smile others will too. Old adages tend to be anchored in truth, the mere act of smiling spurs a powerful chemical reaction in the brain that can make you feel happier.
According to a report on NBC News, smiling can trick the brain into a real state of happiness and science has shown that smiling can lift a person’s mood, lower their stress levels, boost the immune system and possibly even prolong life.
Two happiness hormones, Dopamine and Serotonin are quickly released whenever you crack a smile. Dopamine increases our feelings of happiness and Serotonin is associated with reduced stress. So the conscious act of going from frown to smile actually changes our body’s chemistry and that’s when good things start to happen.
The physical act of smiling alone can make a difference in building your immunity. When we smile, the brain sees the muscle activity of the smiling act and interprets it as humor. Dr. Murray Grossan, an ENT-otolaryngologist in Los Angeles points to the science of psychoneuroimmunology (the study of how the brain is connected to the immune system). “In a sense, the brain is a sucker for a grin. It doesn’t bother to sort out whether you’re smiling because you’re genuinely joyous, or because you’re just pretending.” And in fact, even forcing a fake smile can legitimately reduce stress and lower your heart rate.
Dopamine, or commonly known as the feel-good neurotransmitter, is involved in reward and motivation. This chemical messenger or neurotransmitter, also plays an important role in the coordination of body movements. Parkinson’s disease, for instance, is a degenerative disease that results in tremors and motor movement impairments, is caused by the loss of dopamine-generating neurons in the brain.
Serotonin is an inhibitory neurotransmitters and have an inhibitory effect on the neuron; they decrease the likelihood that the neuron will fire on an action. Serotonin plays an important role in regulating and modulating mood, sleep, anxiety, sexuality, and appetite. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are a type of antidepressant medication commonly prescribed to treat depression, anxiety, panic disorder, and panic attacks. SSRIs work to balance serotonin levels by blocking the reuptake of serotonin in the brain.
Both of these important hormones play a key role in the body’s over health and well-used “happiness hormones” can be an indicator for longevity.
As kids we smile an average of 400 times per day, compared to the average happy adult who smiles 40–50 times per day and the typical adult who smiles only 20 times per day. Unfortunately for adults, the healthy affects of smiling is needed more in our older years.
Why is smiling important for our health? Smiling not only offers a temporary mood boost but the release of happiness hormones like dopamine, serotonin and endorphins have an immediate effect to the reduction of blood pressure, stress and pain, increases endurance and ultimately a strengthened immune system. In fact, Oxytocin, known as the “love hormone” has been linked to positive human emotions and pain relief as does Chorionic Gonadotropin, which plays a role during pregnancy. Levels of both hormones increase during and after childbirth, and they’re thought to contribute to lower levels of pain in pregnant women. Overtime and with regular use, our smiles can really have a positive impact on our aging health.
Want to increase your daily smile average to take advantage of these benefits? The first step is easy, start your day with a smile. Smiling is contagious, so you’ll not only be responsible for boosting your own health but for those around you.
Credits: NBC News, WebMD, HenryFordHealth.com, VeryWellMind.com
