The Science Behind the Smile

A smile is a wonderful thing. Not only does it reflect our happiness, but it actually helps to instill happiness in the people around us. Our natural reaction when something makes us happy is to smile, interestingly enough, science has recently been able to prove that the reverse is also true: if we smile, our natural reaction is to become more happy.

Interesting. This means that we can actually fake a smile and feel the positive effects. Something to keep in mind when we find ourselves in a bad mood that we just can’t seem to break.

A recent study performed by Tara Kraft and Sarah Pressman set out to test the feeling we receive from a smile. Essentially, some test subjects were instructed to smile, some were given chopsticks to hold in their math that would produce an artificial smile, and some held a neutral expression. Then, all of these subjects were instructed to do stressful activities and their heart rates were monitored.

At the end of the session, it was found that people who were making themselves smile and the people who had chopsticks in their mouths to produce a smile, were both less stressed out over the activities than the people with the neutral expression.

Just goes to show that a smile is a powerful thing. Next time you stub your toe or get stuck in traffic, maybe just force a smile on your face, and your stress could fade away!

Are You Comfortable With Your Smile?

Something important to take into consideration, though, is whether or not you are comfortable with your smile. If you don’t like your teeth, you might be holding yourself back from smiling more often than you think. In light of this study on smiling, you are depriving yourself of happiness that can be yours if you just correct your smile! The possibility of a beautiful smile is something attainable. Stop in to our dental office in Houston, TX and get yourself a set of braces in Houston, TX or a tooth whitening treatment in Houston, TX 77080!