Why is Smiling Important?

Smiling is one of the physical reactions we show most during the day. Research shows us that happy adults laugh an average of 40-50 times a day, and children laugh an average of 400 times a day. The point that most of us miss here is this: smiling can be a choice.

People attribute a lot to smiling, and beyond that, to happiness.

This is exactly why the first Friday of October has been designated as “World Smile Day”.

Advertising graphic designer Harvey Ball, who believed that the world could be healed with a smile, developed the yellow smiley face icon that I can encounter everywhere today.

So, what do you know about smiling, one of the simplest actions in the world?

Why is Smiling Important? What are the types?

Smiling brings happiness into our lives and is much more than the movements of the muscles in our face. We can say that happiness is not the only source of this reaction, which we can realize from the moment we are born, but it can also express uncertainty, mourning, shame or fear at times.

Let’s examine together the different types of this reflex we show at different times in our lives:

Award smile:

This type of smile expresses happiness, satisfaction, approval, other positive emotions. The reason why researchers call this smile this way is that we use it to motivate ourselves or others. With this smile, which contains many emotional stimuli, the muscles around our mouth, cheeks, eyes and eyebrows are activated. This reinforces our behavior by increasing positive emotions.

 

An example of this is the unexpected smile a baby gives to its mother. The dopamine hormone, which associates a concrete event with feeling good, triggers the mother’s reward center. In other words, the mother is rewarded for her baby’s apparent happiness.

 

Smiling with a feeling of devotion and closeness:

People exhibit this smile to be polite and to reinforce their sense of reliability and belonging. A compassionate, sincere smile can be a good example of this. As the lips are pulled upward, hollowing may occur on the cheeks. According to a study, smiling with the teeth closed creates the opposite effect of the anger signal brought by the primitive teeth clenching movement on the opposite side.

 

Smiling to make you feel the idea of ​​dominance:

It is a facial expression worn with the desire to establish superiority and to show a sense of sarcastic contempt or disgust. The mechanics of this type work differently than the two types we mentioned before. A dominance smile is more likely to be asymmetrical than others. One side of the mouth rises, the other side stays in place or pulls down. Additionally, it is also possible to curl the lips and raise the eyebrows to reveal more of the white part of the eye.

 

Although the facial expression that comes to mind while reading may seem a bit exaggerated, we can say that this smile, which brutally targets the other party, works. In a study, it was concluded that participants who encountered a person wearing this facial expression had higher levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, than others for up to 30 minutes after the encounter.

 

False smile:

The face is not a very good lie detector. Smiling while lying is seen as an issue that even experienced law enforcement officers have difficulty detecting.

 

In an investigation conducted in 2012, the faces of family members whose videos were shot while trying to find the missing person in their family were analyzed frame by frame. At the end of the process, half of the people in the video were found guilty of killing their family members.

 

Smiling with sadness or longing:

The human being is a very complex organism with its psychology and physiology. This makes it possible for us to smile in the midst of an emotional moment and pain.

 

Experts at the United States National Institutes of Health think that smiling, although difficult, can heal a person during the mourning process. Smiling is also seen as physically beneficial, according to research. When the facial expressions of people in pain are examined, it is seen that they laugh more when they are with their loved ones. This underlines once again that smiling also exists to reassure others that they are okay.

 

Polite smile:

When we think of a kind person, the people that come to mind are generally smiling people. This expression we use when meeting someone, asking for something, or perhaps hiding something, is one of the types of smiles we observe most during the day. Most of the time, when performing this smile, our zygomaticus major muscle works, but our orbicularis oculi muscle does not work. In other words, this situation reminds us of the words about smiling: Eyes do not lie and can distinguish an unreal smile!

 

In a way, we can consider this as a distant stance. While smiles caused by genuine emotions tend to increase interpersonal closeness, this smile helps maintain distance while maintaining civility.

 

Flirty smile:

Having mentioned that a real smile brings people closer, it would be remiss not to mention this tactic that we can also use in bilateral relations. Smiling makes you more attractive. So much so that dating apps and content dealing with bilateral relations give many recommendations on how to affect your environment with your smile.

 

You can raise your eyebrow by keeping your lips together while smiling. For a shyer person, tilting their head slightly may have become a reflex. There is a study that suggests that a sincere, intense smile will put you at an advantage in terms of relative attractiveness.

 

Shy smile:

This facial expression, which lasts shorter than the others, is usually accompanied by tilting the head downwards and shifting the gaze to the left. You’ll also be more likely to touch your face when you’re embarrassed.

 

Duchenne smile:

It is also known as the smile of true joy. This smile illuminates your entire face, including your mouth, cheeks and eyes at the same time.

It shows you as trustworthy, authentic and friendly, and if you are involved with people in your professional life, it will ensure that both parties are happy in your meetings.

 

In a study, baseball team cards from 1952 were examined. It has been determined that actors with a unique and intense smile in photographs live longer. In another study, it was observed that students with this smile in their yearbook photos were happily married in the following years.

 

What are the Benefits of Laughter?

It helps you stay positive:

Now we will share a little secret of happiness with you. Did you know that even if you are not really happy, if you smile, it sends a signal to your brain and body that you are happy? So, in a way, smiling provides real happiness. We think it’s worth a try. Smiling improves nerve communication and has a natural antidepressant effect by helping to release dopamine and serotonin hormones.

 

It reduces stress:

Stress reflects on our body as well as our soul. Laughter not only improves our appearance but also contributes to our mental health and helps reduce stress. To have more information about stress, ” What is Stress ?” published on our blog. and “What is Stress Management ” content.

 

Strengthens the immune system:

In these moments when our body feels more comfortable, the release of some neurotransmitters increases. In this way, it is thought that immune function improves. As a result, it can help your immune system work more effectively and improve your overall health.

 

Smiling is contagious and increases the happiness around you:

Smiling is very important not only for your own energy, but also to shine with your energy to those around you. There are mirror neurons in our brain that automatically detect and interpret facial expressions. As the name suggests, these neurons can cause us to unconsciously imitate the other party’s expressions. In addition to this view, when we encounter a smile, we feel loved and smile at the other party. This “contagion”, which has become a scientific fact, allows you to get the practical answer to the question “why is smiling important?”

 

Increases the likelihood of success by:

Studies have shown that smiling people appear more confident and therefore are more likely to be promoted. Job interviews and meetings will be a good opportunity for you to experience this tactic.

 

Smiling reduces pain:

We have previously stated that it helps increase the release of dopamine and serotonin, known as the happiness hormones. Smiling not only improves your mood but also relaxes your body, reducing physical pain.

 

Helps you live a longer life:

Yes, you’re not reading that wrong. According to Harvard Health Publishing, a Harvard Medical School publication, the claim that smiling provides a longer life stems from the fact that optimism reduces the risk of premature death from cancer and infection. Additionally, a 2010 study suggested that laughter is also associated with a longer lifespan. Although it has been observed that happy people are healthier and live longer, it is too early and more studies are needed to say for sure.

 

Smiling makes you more attractive:

While facial expressions such as frowning and grimacing draw us away from people, we are more likely to be drawn to a smiling face. In fact, this will increase the likelihood that new people you meet will think that you have positive personality traits. In a study, it was stated that the emotion that men find most attractive in women is happiness, which is a reflection of a smile. This list has varied for women. The last thing we will add about this subject will make you very happy. The muscles that work when you smile lift your face, making you look younger.

Tips to Smile More

It’s not always easy to maintain our optimism. However, when you make an objective assessment, you can observe that the situation is not that bad. In case the difficult conditions we experience may damage our self-confidence, making affirmations can help us take a deep breath and finally smile.

Affirmation is expressing your self-approval internally or out loud in the middle of a difficult situation. It is a good way to overcome the negative thoughts you experience. You can make a positive statement about an area in which you appreciate yourself or find yourself successful.

The behavior you should avoid when making affirmations is toxic positivity. Convincing and valuing yourself does not mean denying the factors that challenge you. Life is not rosy, and unfortunately it never will be. These sentences below can help you manage the process better:

• “I am strong enough to deal with the situations I face right now.”
• “I’ve been in a situation like this before, I can get through this too.”
• “Even though this feeling bothers me, I accept it.”
• “I am in a difficult situation, but I can handle it thanks to my skills.”

Looking in the mirror and saying “You are the best painter in the world” is unrealistic and may disappoint you in the long run. In response, “You are in one of the most productive periods you have had in a long time.” This means that when you observe it, it will satisfy you more if it is a realistic determination.

You may not be used to thinking positively, which may make you right and realistic at times. Even though it may seem strange at times, trying to say positive things by looking in the mirror and doing it out loud if possible can help you overcome your pessimism. The trick here is to convince yourself and smile sincerely at the end of the day.

Here are three tips we can give you to laugh more:

Starting the day with a smile: Get a bunch of post-it notes and write on them the things, people, affirmations and places that make you happy. Then stick them somewhere you can see them every morning. Seeing the things you love gets your day off to a good start.

Making a collage for social media: Make a collage of moments when you laugh and post it on your social media accounts. Photos with your favorite smile, a nice time spent with your friend, or a place you love will give positive energy to both you and your followers, and maybe get more likes.

Challenge yourself in front of the mirror: At the beginning of the content, we talked about the existence of different smile types, their reasons and which muscle types they work. So, how many of these can you do? If you are assertive about the subject, we invite you to do a small experiment in front of the mirror. If you are satisfied with the result, you can share it with your friends and invite them to this challenge.

 

Frequently Asked Questions:

*What does smiling do and why is it important?

Smiling is very beneficial for both your mental and physical health. It is claimed that smiling strengthens the immune system, helps lower blood pressure, reduces stress and pain, and even helps you live longer. Regardless of these, laughing causes the other party to smile too, thanks to mirror neurons.

*Does smiling make you happy?

The answer to this question may surprise you a little, but yes, it can. Our brain cannot understand the difference between being happy and the muscles you use to smile. Therefore, even when you cannot find the answer to the question of how to be happy , smiling can reduce your stress and help you relax.

*What are the positive effects of smiling?

Smiling not only improves the image you give to people, but also positively affects your environment. Smiling makes you look confident and therefore more successful. This reaction, which creates the impression that you are affectionate, friendly and even have good qualities, helps you appear more attractive in bilateral relations. A smile that expresses dominance and is directed towards the other party is a negative effect of smiling. The recipient of this smile may experience an increase in the release of cortisol, which is called the stress hormone.

*What happens when you laugh?

When we smile, it facilitates the release of dopamine and serotonin hormones, which are associated with happiness, and reduces the cortisol hormone, which is associated with stress. In other words, even if you are not happy, smiling can make you happy after a while.