Between informing our patients about the importance of keeping teeth clean, it is important to touch on the many reasons why smiling more comes with its own health benefits. We know that smiling has social benefits, as evidenced in studies that have found that smiling makes us look more inviting, intelligent and trustworthy. However, it is less well known that smiling can also improve your overall health! Here are three surprising health benefits you can get from smiling more often:
1. Improve your mood
If you are feeling down, anxious or doubtful, research has found that the act of smiling in itself helps to improve mood and shift your thoughts, increasing the number of positive thoughts you have. Try smiling the next time you feel down– while it may feel unnatural, it is one way to shift your body?s chemistry and bring about more positive emotions.
2. Lower levels of stress
Whether or not you are happy, smiling actually helps us deal with stressful situations more effectively. A study published in Psychological Science reported that smiling can lower your heart rate when you are engaging in stressful tasks. Since stress usually increases your heart rate, a lowered heart rate can actually help you get things done more effectively and lessen the negative effects of stress.
3. Lower blood pressure
Good news for your heart health– smiling appears to lower blood pressure levels. When you smile or laugh, a period of muscle relaxation follows, which helps to decrease blood pressure, ultimately helping to reduce the risk of developing heart disease. Put your heart health first and bring about muscle relaxation by wearing your smile.
Believe it or not, these are not the only health benefits that come with showing off your smile more. There is research supporting that smiling helps to improve relationships, lessen negative emotions, improve communication with others and even helps to reduce pain. At Krengel Dental, our goal is to make your smile as healthy and happy as possible so that you are able to reap the benefits of showing it off. So, let?s get that smile checked out so that you can put it to full use. Give us a call today at 952-888-1311 and a friendly Krengel Dental member will already give you a reason to smile.
