The Benefits of Smiling

There’s no doubt that we’re living in difficult times at the moment. While we seem to have an end point in sight for coming out of lockdown and working our way towards normality once again, the effects of the pandemic are far reaching. Many of us have felt the pressures and strains, with the impact hitting us financially and emotionally.

We’re all looking for ways in which to improve our mental health while we’re stuck indoors and it got us thinking here at Crendon Dental Centre. Because we’re in the business of making smiles it suddenly clicked… smiling can have a wealth of benefits.

Mood booster

Even if you don’t feel like it, smiling is one of the easiest things you can do to improve your mood! Try it, go on, smile right now. How does that feel? In order to smile, you need to relax the tension in your face, which instantly feels good. Smiling, even when you don’t feel like it, can be an instant mood booster, giving you the perfect little pick me up when you need it most.

Stress and pressure relief

Smiing releases endorphins, which are natural chemicals released by the body to relieve pressure or pain. That’s why, when you smile it really does feel like your troubles are lifting away! This is especially important during times of stress, like now.

Boost your immunity

Some researchers believe that laughing can positively impact your immune system. Some studies have shown that the ability to use humour may raise the level of infection-fighting antibodies in the body and boost the levels of immune cells… We don’t know whether this is proven through research yet, but we’ll try anything that can potentially boost our immunity right now!

The old adage tells us that laughter is the best medicine, and the more you think about, the more it rings true. Why not set yourself reminders throughout the day to give yourself a ‘smile break’ and see if it helps… We’ll be trying it too, let us know how you get on!