Gabriel Hummel

(Photo by flickrgrit)

One of the most powerful assets in our ability to change our health, mind, and vitality can be found in something that we do every day

A smile

A smile not only looks good on anyone, but has many benefits that many people are not aware of that can help lead to a more fulfilling and positive lifestyle. Here are 5 major reasons to smile wide and often.

1.       Smiling makes you more attractive

A good smile is something that men and women like to see in their partners.  It communicates all the right messages about you and shows the opposite sex that you are certain in who you are as a person, a very sexy quality to anyone. If you don’t smile people will tend to not even give you a second look at the bar, as there are typically other people who seem to be having all the fun and smiling like a small child in a candy store. Get your smile on and watch the opposite sex be drawn to you.

2.       Smiling changes your state of mind

Smiling changes your physiology or the positioning and state of your body. It has been scientifically proven that changing your physiology at any given moment can help to shift your state of mind radically, from depressed to happy and from angry to calm. By smiling in any given situation you are changing your physiology and effectively telling your brain to feel good, and even if you are grinning like a maniac for no reason in the most arbitrary of situations, you will find that your mental state will shift to something positive. Next time you aren’t feeling so grand, crack a smile and watch your state shift.

3.       Smiling is contagious

Just like yawning, smiling is contagious to other people. Haven’t you been in a situation where everyone is calm in a room and someone comes in and tells a joke with big smile on their face and instantly everyone in the room has a big grin on their face (even if the joke was not so great). It because smiling is a contagious physical state that can transfer onto others through unconscious social mirroring. People tend to act like the other people they are around, so you can effectively start the “feel good” revolution whenever you want and start smiling at your next business meeting and watch your stubborn boss crack a smile as everyone else in the world is feeling good.

4.       Smiling is healthy

Smiling is not only beneficial for your state of mind, but has many positive aspects for your health. It has been proven that smiling can reduce stress as it helps prevent you from looking and feeling tired and overwhelmed. Every time you smile your immune functions increase as a direct result of your relaxed state of mind, which leads to a measurable reduction in your blood pressure. When you smile, you also release endorphins, pain killers, and varying levels of serotonin that help make you healthier and feel better.

5.       Smiling makes you look younger

Every time you smile, your face muscles lift and make a person appear younger.  A British study conducted found that men rated smiling women younger than frowning ones, even if those who frowned were actually younger. People associate smiling with feelings such as joy, youth, and vitality so when you smile you give an appearance of a younger more vibrant self. Not to mention to frowning actually leads to the appearance of more wrinkles.

So get out there and smile, you could effectively be sexier, feel better, spread joy, be healthier, and even look younger just for showing your teeth a little bit more.