The Power Of Smile: 14 Reasons To Smile And Improve Wellbeing

Recently, I watched Ron Gutman’s Ted Talk on the topic “The Hidden Power of Smiling”, I got so inspired and motivated by his words. Therefore, I thought of jotting down all the important points discussed along with my experiences. In this blog, I am going to cover how one smile can bring a change and how one single smile can act as a contagion.

You all might have heard the situation wherein a fool chooses to blabber about all the bad situations and the one with peace and calm mind just throws a smile! Simply, just a smile! I know we all think to act like a peaceful person in all situations.

But, when it comes to anger, anxiety, and stress we actually forget about all these things and start blabbering like a fool. This not only shows us a negative person but also halts our personal growth.

Through this blog, my aim is to make you understand the power of a smile so that you can become resilient with the help of these points and handle tough situations easily.

Types of Smiles

According to psychology, it really does not matter if your smile is intentional or not, it can have great positive effects on the body and mind. One single smile offers a lot of benefits related to moods, health, and the people around you. There are three types of smiles per psychology:

1. Reward

A rewarding smile consists of happiness, contentment, approval, and other types of positive feelings.

2. Affiliation

Affiliating smiles consist of positive intentions like social connection, compassion, belongingness, trustworthiness, and more.

3. Dominance

In some situations, a smile can also be used for conveying disgust, superiority, contempt, or others. Such a smile can increase the stress hormone in the body.

14 Benefits of Smiling

When I asked people, what does a simple smile mean to you? They have involuntarily replied that a smile brings joy and laughter. Well, it’s true but the smile is certainly more than this. Sometimes, it can be a powerful choice too!

If you are looking for more benefits, scroll down to check the 16 benefits of a smile every day:

1. Increase attractiveness:

It’s a universal fact that we are naturally attracted to people who smile. There is a positivity factor attached to such people. We tend to avoid people who keep weird facial expressions like grimacing, pouting, or scowling. Therefore, a simple smile holds the power of attracting people and achieving whatever you have wished for.

2. Relieves stress:

Stress can have mental and physical health impacts. Keeping a stressed face not only makes us tired but also reduces our ability to achieve tasks or maintain balance. While a simple smile even in situations of stress can help reap the benefits and reduce the levels of your stress.

3. Elevates mood:

Whenever you feel low, try putting on a smile and you will see that your mood is elevated and you are feeling better. Smiling helps in elevating mood because it activates the neural messaging system of our brain.

According to science, a smile triggers the release of neural messaging systems and mood-boosting neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine. In such situations, a smile acts like a natural antidepressant.

4. Radiates positivity:

Suppose you are sitting in a room of 10 people and there is one guy who is making others laugh by cracking silly jokes. Now, you might agree with the fact that one silly joke helps in lightening up the entire room. Smile is a beautiful sentiment that radiates positivity along. Hence, a smile is contagious!

5. Boosts immune system:

Smiling improves mental and physical health. It also helps in improving the immune system. According to studies, when we smile, our immune function improves because we are nurtured to be in a more relaxed state.  

6. Lowers blood pressure:

When we smile, it reduces our blood pressure. According to a study, when we laugh, it increases our heart rate. This process is followed by a period of relaxed muscles and consecutively it reduces the heart rate and blood pressure.

7. Makes us feel good:

Research shows that when we smile, our body releases endorphins and serotonin (natural painkillers). Therefore, it helps us feel good from head to toe. Smiling is considered to be a natural drug.

8. Makes us look younger and increases our glow:

I found in one study that when people smile, it looks like they are carrying confidence and they are likely to look younger as it increases the glow as well. Next time, whenever you go to meet someone, try keeping a smile, and you might see tables turning your side.

9. Increases the probability of success:

People who keep smiling throughout the day are more confident and likely to have approached prior in comparison to other people.

10. Helps us stay positive:

Smile without even any reason because it helps in feeling more relaxed and positive throughout the day.

11. Improve relationships:

As I mentioned above, we are most drawn to people who smile a lot. Therefore, smile for improving and maintaining better relationships with people. It will improve your overall well-being as well.

12. Provides instant pain relief:

When we are in pain and try to smile, it helps in releasing the natural painkillers in our body. Not only this, but a smile also helps in increasing a pain threshold. In such cases, you can also try laughter therapy.

13. Promotes longer life:

When we smile unconsciously, it is linked to positive emotions and also increases life spans. Therefore, keep smiling and improving your overall well-being.

14. Strengthens the body:

When we smile, it is considered to be a facial exercise. It helps in getting rid of stress. Moreover, it releases stress on a cellular level. This helps in finding and repairing problems in our body and establishes a great sense of balance within.

Smile and Its Connections

1. Smile and Mental Health

Reduced stress is the most highlighted benefit of a smile. But when it comes to mental health, a simple smile brings a lot of positive changes in life. The power of a smile is directly related to dealing with negative and emotional events. Eventually, a simple smile provides you the strength to fight against negative energies and vibes.

Research shows that people who grieve due to losing someone early for longer time may experience grieving and depression for a longer time. Meanwhile, people who move on from the grief and accept the loss have a high probability of enhanced happiness

People who talk, accept the loss, and try to put a smile are the people who get to live happy life. Hence, we can conclude that a smile provides us the strength to accept and move on.

2. Smile and Physical Health

Ever heard of the phrase “happy people have a happy heart and body” it’s true! So, research shows that people who keep a genuine smile tend to have a long life. Meanwhile, people with fake smiles have a high probability of dying early.

Additionally, a person who keeps smiling throughout the day glows differently and tends to have a better physical system. When I talk about physical health, we all know that a powerful smile adds beauty to the physique.

Moreover, the research shows that patients with smiles recover instantly at hospitals and healthcare places. Consecutively, a happy face encourages you to live happily and make your surroundings a better place.

3. Smile and Personal Wellbeing

Smile encourages positive interactions and a socially adaptive personality. A simple smile holds the power to actually attract people and positivity. The one with a great smile is always adored and cherished and the one with an anxious state and mind is always neglected and avoided.

People who understand the value of a smile have great social relationships. Therefore, you must choose a simple smile over constructivism.

Takeaway- Smile and the world smiles with you!

Through this blog, my motive was to make you understand the value and power of a smile. Smiling is the only thing that comes with a lot of benefits (be it mental, physical, or emotional well-being). In order to keep a smile on your face every day, you just have to surround yourself with positivity and good vibes. When you will start to keep a smile always on your face, you will discover a lot of changes and happiness around you.

So why not smile and make your day and others’ day happy and cheerful? A smile has the power of changing bad situations into good ones with a hint of positivity. Therefore, keep smiling.

I hope this blog helps you explore the benefits of smiling. Comment down and share your views on the same. For more inspiring and motivating content, connect with us on all social media platforms.

Thanks for reading!

Keep smiling and radiating positivity ☺