At Horner Barrow Orthodontics we love creating beautiful smiles for our patients. Just one tiny muscle movement is all it takes to turn up the sides of your mouth, and that smile packs a surprising amount of power!
Smiling stimulates our brain’s reward mechanisms in a way that even chocolate simply cannot match. In a study conducted in the United Kingdom, British researchers found that just one smile can provide the same level of brain stimulation as up to 2000 chocolate bars!
Smiling is a universal, and also frequent, means of communicating. More than 30 percent of us smile more than 20 times a day and less than 14 percent of us smile less than 5 times a day. In fact, children may smile as many as 400 times a day. That’s a whole lot of chocolate bars!
Here are 8 great reasons to flash your beautiful Horner Barrow Orthodontics smile:
1. Smiling Makes YOU Happy
The simple act of smiling sends a message to your brain that you’re happy. When you’re happy, your body pumps out lots of feel-good endorphins. It’s been documented that when people mimic different emotional expressions, their bodies produce physiological changes that reflect that emotion too, such as changes in heart and breathing rate. Psychologists have found that if you smile for just 60 seconds, even fake or forced, it releases serotonin which tricks the body into making YOU feel happy.
2. Smiling Lowers Your Blood Pressure
Believe it or not, lots of smiling can actually make you healthier. Smiling has documented therapeutic effects. It has been associated with reduced stress and anxiety hormone levels (such as cortisol, adrenaline, and dopamine) which in turn lowers blood pressure.
3. Smiling Boosts Your Immune System
Many medical studies have found that smiling lowers ones heart rate, steadies breathing, and relaxes the body, which, in turn, results in a stronger immune system, and could even help you sleep better. So smile more to ward off colds and stay healthy.
4. Smiling Can Make Others Happy
“When you’re smiling, the whole world smiles with you.” Remember that song, made famous by Louis Armstrong? Well, it turns out it’s true. Research shows that smiling is contagious. Have you ever been around someone who just had something wonderful happen to them? Seeing their delighted smile, it’s almost impossible not to feel good, too. Studies show that something as simple as seeing a friend smile can activate the muscles in your face to make that same expression, without even being aware that you are doing it.
5. Smiling Will Make You Look More Youthful
News Flash! Smiling is a natural facelift! It plumps up the cells of the facial skin and gives you a warm, radiant glow. In fact, a study conducted found that 69 percent of people find women more attractive when they smile than when they are wearing makeup!
6. Smiling Increases Your Productivity.
Smiling can diminish negativity, which in turn revitalizes and boosts your productivity. Studies have proven that a few minutes of smiling and laughter motivates people to work harder, and can even enhance their creativity.
7. Smiling Builds Trust
It’s been shown that a genuine smile increases the trust that the recipient of that smile feels. In fact, the bigger your smile (a big, approachable smile), the more others will trust you.
8. Smiling May Help You Live Longer
When you are smiling, it’s hard to be negative, and a positive attitude has been shown to increase life expectancy. Studies have shown that you can add up to seven more years to your life by genuinely smiling often. Now, who wouldn’t want that?
Food For Thought:
“A smile costs nothing, but creates much. It enriches those who receive, without impoverishing those who give. It happens in a flash and the memory of it sometimes lasts forever.” – Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People.
At Horner Barrow Orthodontics, we are committed to delivering excellent quality orthodontic treatment to each and every patient. To provide a friendly, caring, and pleasant atmosphere that will ensure our patients feel relaxed and confident about placing their orthodontic care in our hands. Call our Sioux Falls, SD office today!