20 Jan
Smile! It’s Good For You
Smiles are good for you! At Lifetime Family Dental in Gilbert, our passion is to create healthy mouths and beautiful smiles. If the eyes are windows to the soul, then a smile must be a doorway to the heart. When you are confident that you have a winning smile, it seems that people respond with favor. Here are four major health benefits of smiling:
1. Better relationships
We are social animals, and our relationships are essential for our health. It’s no surprise that everyone wants to be liked. One study found that people who smiled more were perceived as more likeable, more reliable and more attractive. Another study found that everytime you smile at someone, their brain automatically coaxes them to smile back. Smiles are contagious! You can foster healthy life-giving relationships through smiling. It benefits you and all those around you.
2. Stress relief
Smiling activates neurons in your brain that benefit your happiness and your health. When you smile, neuropeptides are released which facilitate messages to your entire body about the emotional state you are experiencing. Your body relaxes, your blood pressure falls and your heart rate slows.
3. A better mood
The neurotransmitters that make us feel good are all released when we smile. Runners and joggers experience a “runner’s high” from the endorphins that are released when during exercise. Those same endorphins, along with serotonin and dopamine, are activated by smiling. These genuine feel-good chemicals that our brains produce are natural pain killers too—this is what enables marathon runners to push beyond the “wall.”
Dopamine is known to be a mood elevator. It’s the neurotransmitter that rewards us with feelings of pleasure and satisfaction. Smiling brings the same dopamine release as eating a second helping of chocolate cake. And it’s much better for your teeth and your waistline!
Smiling also boosts serotonin in your brain. Serotonin is an antidepressant. Many anti-depressant drugs work by elevating the level of serotonin.
4. Immunity
Smiling (along with laughter) has been demonstrated to benefit the immune system. When low immune system response is diagnosed, the culprit is often an increased level of stress. It is stress that leads to high blood pressure, increased heart rate, restricted arteries and higher blood sugar levels. As noted above, smiling releases the neurotransmitters that relax you. Laughter raises the level of antibodies that fight infection, and boosts the number of immune cells as well. As it turns out, laughter really is the best medicine.
The results are in: smiling is good for you! If you are not confident about your smile, Lifetime Family Dental in Gilbert can help. We offer many types of cosmetic dentistry to give you the beautiful, brilliant smile you have always wanted—so that you can experience all the health benefits of smiling. With flexible payment plans and easy appointments, a great smile is within your reach. Call us today and get started on the path to better health through smiling!
Images used under creative commons license (Commerical Use) 01/20/20 Photo by Aleksandr Balandin