This might be a dental holiday, Celebrating a smile, but let’s make it a challenge to smile at others!  Let your JOY show through your smile all this week! It is National Smile Week.  Or, in the words of the very funny and talented Will Ferrell, who played Buddy in the holiday movie Elf: “I just like to smile! Smiling's my favorite”.

Here are a few fun ways you can celebrate all week!

·       Make every opportunity to make someone smile. One of the easiest ways to get someone to smile is to smile at them first—just like a yawn, smiles are contagious!

·       Make a list of things that make you smile and then post them in a place you’ll see them often. 

·       Have a smile-off with your kids and see who can smile the longest.

·       When you get up in the morning, smile. Think happy thoughts for a moment; it will set the tone for your day!

·       Smile out of gratitude for all the blessings that surround you in life.

·       Smile at people in the store, on a walk, or at work.  I triple dog dare you!

·       Make sticky note smiles and post them everywhere!  By elevators, in stairwells, in your home, send one to a bank teller, put one in your mailbox!

·       Paint Smile rocks and hide them all over town! (My personal favorite! Besides just smiling that is!)

·       Make a list or journal what makes you smile for the week and then try to do more of that each day! 

Did you know that when you smile?

Your brain releases tiny molecules called neuropeptides to help fight off stress. Then other neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin and endorphins come into play too. The endorphins act as a mild pain reliever, whereas the serotonin is an antidepressant.

smiling can trick your brain into believing you’re happy which can then spur actual feelings of happiness.

You boost your bodies immune system!  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), asserting that it has been shown “over and over again” that depression weakens your immune system, while happiness on the other hand has been shown to boost our body’s resistance.  So, fake it until you feel it is true about happiness. Smile when you feel like frowning and release chemicals that create a more positive mood, improve your immune system, and reduce your heart rate. “Even forcing a fake smile can legitimately reduce stress and lower your heart rate,” adds Dr. Sivan Finkel, a cosmetic dentist at NYC’s The Dental Parlour.

Smiling has the power to change your mood and the moods of others. Humans are hardwired to mimic the expressions of others. So it is scientifically proven that smiles are contagious! Smiling doesn’t just make you feel better; it also triggers lots of health benefits! Just like happiness, smiles have the power to affect those around us. In fact, the part of your brain that controls your “smile muscles” does so automatically. So, smiling can be entirely unconscious, especially in response to someone else smiling at you.

According to various studies, smiling is considered contagious. Smiling activates the release of neuropeptides and neurotransmitters (dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins), which decrease stress levels, relax the body, lowers your heart rate and blood pressure, and serves as an antidepressant and mood lifter! Researchers at the University of Kansas published findings that smiling helps reduce the body’s response to stress and lower heart rate in tense situations; another study linked smiling to lower blood pressure, while yet another suggests that smiling leads to longevity.

Lastly, a person smiling is also seen as “attractive, reliable, relaxed, and sincere.” 

So, get out there and smile your face off this week!

 Sources:

A Smile Is More Contagious Than the Flu!

By Dr. Joanie Faucher, Certified Specialist in Periodontics In Periodontics March 4, 2021

The Health Benefits of Smiling by SCL Health.

Adelmann, P. K., & Zajonc, R. B. (1989). Facial efference and the experience of emotion. Annual Review of Psychology, 40, 249–280.

Andréasson, P., & Dimberg, U. (2008). Emotional empathy and facial feedback. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 32, 215–224.

Buck, R. (1980). Nonverbal behaviour and the theory of emotion: The facial feedback hypothesis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 38, 811–824.

NBC News Nov. 28, 2017, 12:31 PM CST / Updated Jan. 9, 2018, 7:31 PM CST

By Nicole Spector