You probably heard this at least once by now: Smile your sorrows away. This is not just a saying, but a true scientific fact as we’ll attempt to explain in a bit. Smiling does wonders to your body and brain, and can – literally – wipe away all your sorrows and sadness.
Not only that, but smiling can do wonders for your life and relationships as well. The so-called “halo effect” is no longer myth, but very much reality. It states that people with great smiles have better work environment relationships, better life with their spouses, better opportunities to get their dream jobs, and are happier than others who don’t smile so often.
But one thing at a time, let’s see how smiling affects the brain.
What Happens When You Smile?
How Smiling Affects The Brain
When you attempt to smile, your facial muscles are pulled in a certain way.
There are about 10 kinds of smiles, some are genuine that reach the eyes and cheeks, and some are forced that never pass the lips, while others are aimed at making you feel authoritative or even sympathetic.
When any of these smiles are engaged, a number of chemicals known as endorphins are released inside your brain – as well as Dopamine and Serotonin – and these are responsible for all the good stuff.
How Smiling Affects The Brain
Your brain is now swimming in Endorphins, which are known as the happy chemicals. You start to feel happy and relaxed, and all your problems seem far, far away. The brain is made up of millions of little conducting cells called neurons. These neurons deliver orders and impulses from the brain to every other organ in the body, making your heart beat, your lungs expand to take air, your leg muscles work to make you walk, and so on. With Endorphins, the message that your brain gets across to all organs of your body is: be happy. That message does wonders to all organs and parts of the body, as we’ll see in a bit. So it is not really a question of how smiling affects the brain, but how it affects the body as a whole.
How Does Smiling Affect The Body?
It all has to do with the chemicals released in the brain. These Endorphins also work wonders on the rest of your body. Here is a little sample of what happens:
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Stress relief:
Endorphins are the “feel good” body chemicals. On the other hand, the chemical known as Cortisol is the opposite. Cortisol is known as the stress hormone, and is responsible for all the tenseness in your muscles, all the jaw clenching, and essentially the “fight or flight response”. Shockingly, while smiling raises the levels of Endorphins, it lowers the levels of Cortisol, and your stress goes down alongside of it.
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Lowering blood pressure:
Another fact of smiling that is still under a lot of research to understand how it happens. If you take a reading of your blood pressure, smile for a minute, and then take another reading, you’ll find your blood pressure – amazingly – lowered. Smiling is usually accompanied by an increase in heart rate and breathing rate, followed by a period of relaxation and slowing of the heart rate as well as the blood pressure. No one knows why this happens exactly, but who’s complaining?
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Keeps you looking younger:
There is some debate on whether smiling causes wrinkles, but the proven fact is that smiling engages your facial muscles. The skin of the face is held firm by the muscles, so when they are constantly working – during smiling – the skin is kept taut, shiny, and young.
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Pain relief:
Not just emotional pain but actual physical pain. Endorphins – in addition to being the “feel good” chemicals – are also natural pain killers. Most pain killers are even derived from that amazing chemical.
So as you see, it is not only about how smiling affects the brain, but how a smile and a good laugh can make you feel younger, healthier, and happier.
Does Fake Smiling Release Endorphins?
That is one of the beautiful loopholes of the matter. Endorphins are released in the brain causing all of the abovementioned benefits when your facial muscles are engaged in a smile, not when you are happy. As we mentioned, there are more than 10 types of smiles, and endorphins are released with all of them. The physical act of smiling is what releases these awesome chemicals. The brain does not distinguish between a real, genuine smile and a fake one, and releases Endorphins all the same.
So what we’re saying is: Smile, even if you don’t mean it.
Knowing All That, How Come People Don’t Smile More Often?
Most people don’t know the effects of smiling and how smiling affects the brain. However, that is not the main reason for the constant frowns. Other than life stresses, people usually don’t smile because they have something to hide, namely their teeth. When you have a problem with your teeth’ appearance – such as crooked teeth, missing teeth, stains .. etc. – you are less likely to smile because of the feeling of embarrassment. But worry not, we are here to help.
Here is what we can offer:
- Teeth Replacement:
A missing tooth is one of the ugliest features of the face. Make sure you seek replacement of your missing teeth as soon as you can. - Teeth cleaning and stain removal:
A regular cleaning session once or twice a year can shield you from the awful stains from food, alcohol, smoking, and coffee. - Cosmetic dentistry:
All aspects of cosmetic dentistry are aimed at improving your smile. Teeth whitening, Laser gum recontouring, veneers, and more are all part of the endeavor. - Braces:
Having gaps between your teeth, crowded teeth, overbites .. etc. can also be very unappealing. Even adults can benefit from braces in correcting their teeth’ arrangement.
That’s all you need to know about how smiling affects the brain. If you are interested in a great smile through braces, you will find none better than Dr. Anthony Farrow and the team at Farrow Orthodontics. We are happy to answer any questions pertaining to braces, clear braces, Invisalign, or Invisalign Teen in Philadelphia PA, Mt. Airy PA 19150, Center City PA 19102, and the surrounding areas of Philadelphia County, PA.
If you would like to schedule a complimentary consultation with Dr. Anthony Farrow, please contact Farrow Orthodontics at Center City: 215-569-9060 | Mt. Airy: 215-247-9060.