Be Happy by Smiling More? Why It’s Important to Have a Smile You LOVE!

Here at Cigno Family Dental, our entire reason for being revolves around YOUR SMILE. In fact, the goal of all we do, is giving you a smile you LOVE!

Our primary mission is twofold: giving you a healthy smile – comprised of healthy teeth and healthy gums AND helping you have a smile that makes you more confident about sharing it (SMILING) more often!

The smile is ultra-important. It “says” so much to others and the act of smiling can even make you feel better—and healthier overall too!

Here are 6 good reasons to smile more—as often as possible:

1. Smiling makes you appear happier, healthier, and YOUNGER!

A study recently published in Psychology and Aging had researchers ask people to guess the real age of people they didn’t know, in photographs. Overwhelmingly, the test subjects guessed the age of the strangers in the pictures who were smiling, as younger than their real age. Furthermore, the opposite was true as well. When the people in the picture had a neutral expression, or were frowning, their age was estimated as older. Similar studies have also produced results showing that people who were smiling in photos were viewed as “healthier” as well.

2. Smiling DOES make you healthier!

When you smile, amazing things happen to your health. Your blood pressure and heart rate decrease and your “feel-good” chemicals – endorphins and serotonin – increase.

Since heart health often relates to overall health, it’s no surprise then that smiling is such a health-booster. Furthermore, more endorphins and serotonin mean you are happier, more balanced emotionally, and less stressed—things that also impact heart and health.

To support this idea, studies have shown even making the effort to smile can boost your mood. According to http://everydayhealth.com. “Emotions are felt through the whole body, not just in the brain,” explains researcher Michael Lewis, PhD, of Cardiff University in the United Kingdom. One study, led by Dr. Lewis, looked at participants who had recently received Botox injections and were physically unable to frown because of the procedure. The participants reported feeling happier and less anxious — and the researchers partly chalked it up to their inability to pout.

3. Your smile is contagious…

It probably doesn’t surprise you that smiling is good for YOU. But maybe you didn’t know that when you smile at others – or even when they SEE you smiling – you can make them happier too?! Smiling at others also increases THEIR feel-good chemicals, giving them the same benefits those chemical increases give you (better moods, more balanced emotions, and less stress). Interesting to note is that frowning also works the same way – you hurt your own mood and that of those around you.

4. Smilers tend to be more successful

A “causal” relationship has been shown between happiness and success. This means that feeling happy usually comes BEFORE success—and not vice versa. As you now know that smiling makes you happier, one could make the logical assumption then, that smiling would also make you more successful—personally, professionally, and in relationships.

5. Smiling makes you seem more approachable, friendly, and often, unforgettable—especially when you “exchange a smile” with another!

Do you want some to remember you fondly? Smile often when interacting with them! The journal Neuropsychologia discovered that the brain may be programmed naturally to “imprint” smiling faces in the memory more often than those that are not smiling. In their studies, people were again shown pics of smiling and non-smiling faces. Overwhelmingly, they could “remember” those faces that were smiling, better. Furthermore, the smilers were seen as more friendly and approachable—key factors in starting and maintaining relationships. Therefore, flashing your beautiful smile is a “must” when meeting new people – personally or professionally – if you want to make a lasting (favorable) impression!

6. Your smile tells others a lot about you – without your “saying” a word!

As the previous examples show, smiling “says” so much about you that it can have a tremendous impact on your life and your interactions and relationships with others. Even better, it’s “easier” to smile than frown and uses less facial muscles—preventing those “bad” wrinkles in the future.

Thus, if you’re not thrilled with your smile for some reason, please contact us. We would LOVE to help you get a smile that you not only want to share all the time, but that you can’t help sharing over and over!

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