BENEFITS OF A SMILE
Smiling is usually the result of a positive outlook on life and situations.
In times of stress, anxiety or depression, a smile can break negative thoughts and feelings.
It may sound counter-intuitive when there is an uncomfortable situation facing you but a smile is just what you need to break the negative thoughts, feelings of sadness, etc.
Smiling Improves Your Health
In a scientific study by Tara Kraft and Sarah Pressman, published in the* National Institute of Health Library, revealed that smiling reduces the body’s heart rate during stressful situations.
Kraft and Pressman investigated whether covertly manipulating positive facial expressions would influence cardiovascular and affective responses to stress.
Participants (N = 170) naïve to the purpose of the study completed two different stressful tasks while holding chopsticks in their mouths in a manner that produced a Duchenne smile, a standard smile, or a neutral expression.
Awareness was manipulated by explicitly asking half of all participants in the smiling groups to smile (and giving the other half no instructions related to smiling).
Findings revealed that all smiling participants, regardless of whether they were aware of smiling, had lower heart rates during stress recovery than the neutral group did, with a slight advantage for those with Duchenne smiles.
Participants in the smiling groups who were not explicitly asked to smile reported less of a decrease in positive affect during a stressful task than did the neutral group. These findings show that there are both physiological and psychological benefits from maintaining positive facial expressions during stress.
The research suggests that even a forced smile can help you deal with difficulties better.
Smiling Improves Pain Tolerance
A smile on your face is not enough to decrease pain tolerance but studies from the University of Oxford in collaboration with US and European researchers found a link between laughter and our ability to handle pain.
The study indicated that those who watched a humorous video and laughed together in a group experienced a greater tolerance for pain.
Laughing with others is a key part of this phenomenon. People who laughed alone did not enjoy the same benefit.
Those joyful facial expressions and the simple act of laughing seems to make it easier to handle pain.
Beating the Winter Blues
As we approach the winter months in Northern America let’s talk about how to beat the winter blues. This is a real challenge for many which is caused by the lack of sun in winter months.
If you’re feeling depressed during the winter months, smiling may help overcome the feeling of sadness and the blues.
Smiling boosts serotonin and endorphins in your brain and will help boost positive emotions. Smiling is not the only thing you can do to beat the winter blues however, it’s certainly one treatment option you can combine with other strategies to enjoy a more positive outlook on this season.
Now that you know how powerful your smile can be, it’s time to address any issues that are keeping you from showing off your beautiful Celebrity Smile.
If you have discolored teeth, spaces between your teeth, chipped teeth, or other cosmetic issues, you’re less likely to smile.
When you have beautiful pearly whites to show off, however, you might find excuses to smile even when life is presenting you with a challenge. Take care of your teeth, so you can enjoy all the benefits of a healthy smile, extending far beyond your mouth.
The first step to achieve your Celebrity Smile is to have your teeth as white as you want. After you have white teeth, you can now have your dental restorations completed by your dentist.
Dental offices around the world have been using Celebrity Smiles® Dental Grade whitening products for many years.
Get started with your wireless kit and sensitivity-free whitening products here.
* Research: https://bit.ly/SmilesChangeU