Tis The Season To Be Jolly | 5 Health Benefits Of Smiling And Laughter

December 2020

Merry Christmas? Let’s be Jolly? Joy to the World?

With the holidays of 2020 approaching amid rising infection rates and economic woes brought on by COVID-19, you may not feel like smiling.

Try to smile anyway.

Smiling and laughter have a positive impact on your oral and overall health.

Here are 5 reasons why a giggle, a belly laugh and even a timid grin are good for you:

1. Smiling helps you relax.

   Smiling reduces stress. The turmoil of 2020 has given us plenty of reasons to feel anxious, depressed or fatigued. As if that’s not bad enough, stress can cause many serious health issues:

   1. It is a common cause of teeth grinding, which can damage your tooth enamel, make your jaw ache and more.
   2. Stress may also trigger cravings for sugary foods and drinks that introduce unhealthy bacteria into your mouth, leading to cavities and gum disease.
   3. Furthermore, stress can increase your heart rate and blood pressure, putting you at risk for heart disease, obesity and other illnesses.

   Laughter activates and then releases your stress response, which can ease your heart rate and blood pressure, leaving you feeling relaxed, less tense and more likely to practice good health habits.

2. Smiling boosts pain tolerance and your immune system.

   By releasing endorphins, laughter can increase pain tolerance and boost your immune system. Some research even suggests that patients who laugh a significant amount need less pain medication following surgery.

3. Smiling acts as a mild workout.

   Surprisingly, laughing can mimic exercise by burning calories and increasing your heart rate. In a study conducted by Vanderbilt University, participants burned 50 calories after just 10 to 15 minutes of laughter. Chuckling at the family table just might help you burn off some of those extra calories from Christmas cookies.

4. Smiling makes you likable.

   If you smile more, you’ll appear more likeable, courteous and even competent. Smiles are even contagious, making those around you happy too.

   We can still smile at each other.

5. Smiling may extend your life!

   In a 15-year-long research study, women were found to have a 48% lesser risk of death from heart disease if they had high scores on the humor portion of a cognitive exam. Men that had high scores in the humor department were 73% less likely to die from infection. Another study looked at professional baseball players. Those who chose to smile in their baseball pictures lived an average of 5 years longer than players who didn’t smile. These studies provide evidence into how smiling plays a part in living longer.

    

A wise man said: “You can’t always control circumstances. However, you can always control your attitude, approach and response.” 2020 has presented us with plenty of challenges beyond our control, but we can still control our mindset.

Try it right now. Boost your mood by giving yourself a little smile.

Still need a little nudge? Listen to these smile-inducing songs.

And if you want to learn how to flash a 100-megawatt smile, learn a few secrets from beauty pageant contestants.