You may think of smiling as an effect that something positive causes. Whether it’s seeing a good friend, playing with your child, or simply gazing at the sunset, it’s normal to choose activities that make use smile. However, did you know that smiling can help cause positive emotions? While forcing a smile in a tough situation may not sound pleasant, flashing your pearly whites has the power to improve how you’re feeling. Keep reading to discover 4 reasons why you should stay smiling through good or bad from your dentist in Dallas, GA.
Reduce Your Stress
Studies have shown that smiling can reduce your heartrate during stressful situations. It may not be your first thought to smile during stress, but it could be what you need to calm down. Additionally, those with a Duchenne smile (a big smile that reaches your eyes) had the lowest heartrate of all in comparison to those that just formed the shape of a smile and those who didn’t smile at all.
Smiling is believed to also boost levels of serotonin—even when it’s forced. Serotonin is a natural stress reducer in your brain that helps you feel less anxious and also affects your heartrate. So, even when you’re stressed, it’s worth it to crack a grin.
Increase Your Happiness
While you may think of smiling as the result of happiness, what if it was the other way around? Smiling creates a chemical reaction in your brain that releases dopamine. High dopamine is associated with happiness, while low levels can be a contributing factor in depression.
Improve Pain Tolerance
While smiling hasn’t been directly linked to improved pain tolerance, studies show that laughing can ease discomfort. Specifically, studies have shown that laughing in a group can improve your pain tolerance. So, if you have a painful procedure in your future, you may want to get together with some friends before and watch a funny movie or cartoon.
Combat the Winter Blues
The lack of sun in the winter months can increase depression, irritability, and lethargy for a lot of people. Severe cases of this are called Season Affective Disorder (SAD). If you’re beginning to feel down during the winter months, try smiling! It can boost your serotonin and endorphins in your brain to increase positive emotions.
Additionally, those with beautiful smiles tend to smile more, which leads to the benefits discussed above. It has also been proven that those with great smiles are perceived as younger, more successful, and confident. That’s why it’s important to see your dentist for routine checkups to make sure your grin stays pearly white and dazzling.
About the Practice
At Distinctive Dentistry, we have a team of 3 dentists who have a passion for providing quality care. They believe in the power of smiling, which is why they want you to know the importance of flashing your teeth. For any questions, they can be contacted through their website or by phone at (770) 445-6606.
