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Each one of us is born with the ability to smile, yet as we age, we intend to smile less often. A study conducted reported that children smile an average of about 400 times per day, an average happy adult smiles 40-50 times per day, and a typical adult smiles only 20 times per day. 

Smiling has numerous health benefits, such as:

Improve Your Mood

Smiling is known to produce endorphins that reduce stress and improve mood. When you smile, your brain releases dopamine, a neurotransmitter that lifts your mood and makes you feel happier.

Smiling also promotes social well-being by stimulating our reward system, which makes us feel better when we connect with others. Smiling helps us form bonds with those around us.

Improve Your Self-Image

Smiling more can make you feel better about yourself. Studies have found that smiling more can make you appear more attractive to others. Smiling also helps reduce stress and anxiety, which can make us look and feel better, as well.

Reduce Anxiety

Smiling can reduce anxiety and interrupt stressful or anxious thoughts. Smiling releases endorphins and serotonin, which are both natural mood enhancers.

Improve Your Relationships

Smiling is associated with a positive mood, which can help improve your relationships. For example, smiling has been found to put other people at ease, which can help you appear friendlier and more approachable. It can also be contagious; when someone smiles at you, it’s natural to smile in return.

Improve Your Professional Life

Smiling to yourself in the mirror in the morning can set you up for a productive day. Smiling during a job interview is perceived as being confident and likable.

Improve Your Overall Health

When you smile, it reduces your cortisol levels. Cortisol is a hormone that is released when you are under stress. By reducing your stress levels, you are also reducing your chances of developing heart disease. By smiling, you may also increase your ability to stay calm and improve your overall mood.

Improve Your Trustworthiness

Smiling can be an important step to building trust with others. In a study done at the University of Pennsylvania, researchers studied how smiling affected others’ perception of trustworthiness. In the study, each participant interacted with a number of different individuals. During their interactions with each individual, the participants either had a neutral face or a smiling face. After each person’s interaction, each participant rated their impression of the person’s trustworthiness.

Rivermark Dental at Santa Clara is happy to educate and provide exceptional dental treatments to the community. Please schedule an appointment online or call us at 408-988-7788 to have a consultation with our dentist, and we will be happy to assist you further.