Did you know that smiling can improve your physical and mental well-being, as well as help you make stronger connections with the people around you? Those are some seriously powerful benefits!
Whether you already have a smile you love or would feel more confident with a brighter, whiter, or straighter grin, Surf City Dental is focused on helping you harness the power of YOUR smile! Sharing a grin with a friend, co-worker, loved one, or even a stranger creates a ripple effect in both our bodies and our social interactions. In turn, your day – and everyone else’s – ends up being a little bit brighter.
Keep reading to uncover the multitude of rewards smiling provides and discover how to tap into the power of your smile!
Smile…For Your Health!
Beaming from ear to ear goes a long way in making you look and FEEL your best! Our brains go through a number of automatic responses when we flash a genuine grin, which then causes a physical reaction in our bodies.
For example, when we smile, our brain triggers the release of endorphins. These chemicals help reduce stress and work as a mild pain reliever. Additionally, smiling has been shown to:
- Reduce blood pressure
- Strengthen the immune system
- Increase endurance
- Reduce the risk of heart disease
Aside from physical benefits, Surf City Dental knows smiling boasts plenty of mental advantages as well. In addition to endorphins, your brain releases dopamine and serotonin, which improve your mood and create feelings of pleasure, satisfaction, and motivation. Smiling can even counteract negative thinking, causing you to have a more positive outlook and making you feel happy, even if you’re not.
Grin & Share It
In addition to improving your mental and physical well-being, flashing those pearly whites can affect how others perceive you. It’s no surprise that putting a smile on your face makes you appear more likable and easier to approach, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg!
Studies have shown that individuals who smile more often are typically seen as more attractive, reliable, sincere, and relaxed. Displaying a toothy grin is helpful in the workplace as well. It’s beneficial in forming relationships with co-workers, and research shows it may even make you more productive!
Just as laughing is contagious, smiling (and the benefits that accompany it) can be passed along too. Sharing a smile helps you bond and create connections with other people. When you smile at someone, they’re likely to mimic your actions by beaming back at you, which allows them to enjoy all the advantages a simple smile creates.
Smile RIGHT
Believe it or not, there is a “correct” way to smile. At least if you want to gain the maximum benefits, it’s called a Duchenne smile and is understood to be genuine.
When you produce a Duchenne smile, you engage both your mouth and eyes, causing your cheeks to lift and your laugh lines to crinkle. Not sure if you’re doing it right? Hold a pencil horizontally between your teeth to experience what a Duchenne smile feels like!
Wow – who knew smiling could make such a difference?! At Surf City Dental, we encourage every patient to embrace their smile and work with you to ensure your teeth are healthy and happy so you can do it with confidence. Commit yourself and those around you this holiday season — smile easily and often!