Smile for Mental Health and Wellness

Smile for Mental Health and Wellness

A smile is one of the few expressions that universally has the same meaning all around the world. A smile usually communicates happiness, friendliness, acceptance and other positive messages. Today, I’m going to give you some reasons of why you should smile more.

Effect on Self

No matter how unhappy you feel, force yourself to smile. Both the website science.howstuffworks.com and the website Pickthebrain.com note that the brain reacts positively to smiling.  According to science.howstuffworks.com, “facial changes involved in smiling have direct effects on certain brain activities associated with happiness.” And many more studies have been done to test the effects of smiling on the brain. Pickthebrain.com notes that smiling relieves stress due to the fact that smiling releases endorphins immediately after you smile (even if you are forcing it). When smiling, the facial muscles you use must send messages to the brain that are associated with happy feelings.

Science.howstuffworks.com states that the theory goes all the way back to Darwin in the 19^th century. He proposed, “that facial expressions didn't only reflect emotions, but also caused them.” In 1989, psychologist Robert Zajonc published a study where half of his subjects were to make a long “e” sound (mimicking a smile) and the other half were to make a long “u” sound (forcing a frown or a pouty expression). Subjects reported better moods after making the long “e” sound and subjects reported bad feelings after making the long “u” sound. So next time you find that your mood needs a little lift, try it out! Force a cheesy smile! No matter how unhappy you feel, forcing yourself to smile will elevate your mood. Keep in mind that this does not necessarily mean that smiling makes you feel intense happiness, or that it can completely change your mood from sad to joyous, however it will make you will feel a positive improvement in your mood. It’s proven by science!

There are many more studies and findings on the positive mental health benefits of smiling. You can click my hyperlinks for more studies and deeper explanations of the studies I talked about. Pickthebrain.com states interesting facts about smiles in general, whereas science.howstuffworks.com’s article which includes mostly studies.

Effect on Others

Have you noticed that smiles are contagious? Pickthebrain.com states that, “it’s not just a saying, scientists say. In a study conducted in Sweden, people had difficulty frowning when they looked at other subjects who were smiling and their muscles twitched into smiles all on their own.” By smiling at others, you will not only lift your own mood, but you have the ability to lift someone else’s spirits as well, and improve their day. Who knew smiles could be so powerful? Janine Driver, a member of the Dr. Oz team, and an expert on body language states that, “[a] smile can be recognized up to 300 feet away, and [that] it takes far fewer muscles to create than a frown.” (from article from Dr. Oz Website)

Make it a habit!

Try and smile more at others every day. If you make it a habit, you won’t even have to make a conscious effort to smile. You will begin to do it naturally, and by this, not only will you brighten your own day, but someone else’s as well. And if you smile at someone else, they are more likely to smile at another person and this positive cycle continues.

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Have you smiled today? It's not too late to start!