Smiling is a great way to make yourself stand out while helping your body to function better. Smiling not only makes you more attractive to look at, it actually improves your stress level and your health.
Happiness Will Help Fight Illness
People who are optimistic (and are the one’s smiling) have stronger immune systems and are actually able to fight off illness better than pessimists.
“The research is very clear,” says Christopher Peterson, PhD, a University of Michigan professor who’s been studying optimism’s link to health for over two decades, “This is not some social science generalization. There is a link between optimistic attitudes and good health. It has been measured in a variety of ways. Overall, we have found that optimistic people are healthier. Their biological makeup is different. They have a more robust immune system.”
It also appears that people who are optimistic are more likely to take better care of themselves, which could be another reason why they tend to be healthier. “Optimistic people act differently [and] are more likely to do the things that public health experts say are associated with good health”, said Peterson.
Smiling Can Help You Live Longer
According to a recent case study of elderly persons, those who were more optimistic and who expected good things to happen rather than bad things were less likely to die than pessimists.
The participants in the study, aged 65 to 85 who were most optimistic were 55 percent less likely to die than the most pessimistic people. What’s more, after researchers adjusted the results for age, smoking status, alcohol consumption, physical activity and other measures of health, the optimists were 71 percent less likely to die than the pessimists!
Smiling Is a Natural Stimulant
According to The British Dental Health Foundation, a smile gives the same level of stimulation as eating 2,000 chocolate bars. The results were found after researchers measured brain and heart activity in volunteers as they were shown pictures of smiling people and given money and chocolate.
Dr. Nigel Carter, chief executive of the Foundation, pointed out, “We have long been drawing attention to the fact that smiling increases happiness both in yourself and those around you, so it is good to receive the backing of this scientific research … A healthy smile can improve your confidence, help you make friends and help you to succeed in your career.”
So remember to find a few reasons to smile every day. Not only will you be happier, you’ll be healthier too!
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