Good Vibes (And Smiles) Only

Work got you stressed? Kids driving you crazy? Ran out of wine? Next time life has you feeling down, smile. Sound a little too easy? Well, it won’t fix everything, but it can actually help. Science has proven that smiling (even cracking an itty bitty smile) for a second can improve mood. Your facial expressions and brain work together on an emotional feedback loop. Basically, when you smile a message is sent to your brain that tells it “I’m feeling happy,” whether you are or not.

Besides turning your day around, why should you be smiling? First, smiling has some really great health benefits. When we smile, our brains naturally releases endorphins (yep, those same hormones that come from working out). Lots of people use physical activity as a way relieve stress and anxiety. So by putting on a smile, you’re getting some of those same benefits. People who smile in stressful situations are shown to have slower heart rates than those who don’t.

Second, smiling is also known to increase productivity and creativity. Smiling helps reverse our brains’ natural defense mechanism to think negatively. Minds in positive headspaces are able to accomplish more tasks and produce more creative solutions.

Who knew that showing off your teeth could be such good medicine?! (I guess we did.)