We've all heard the saying "it takes 17 muscles to smile but 43 muscles to frown", right? It's no secret that smiling more may result in fewer wrinkles, but what about the rest of your health? We're going to show you how smiling affects your health, yourself, and those around you!

As children, we tend to smile about 400 times per day but as we age, that number reduces to about 40-50 times per day. Aside from helping yourself feel good, smiling is known to release cortisol and endorphins that provide a myriad of benefits such as:

• Reduced stress
• Reduced blood pressure
• Reduced pain
• Strengthened immune system

Next time you're feeling down or uninspired, go out of your way to watch a funny video or look at a picture of a cute animal. Focus on things that bring you joy and make you smile! This will go a long way in helping improve your mood and in turn, boost your health.

Aside from the health benefits, those who smile more often are typically more successful in the workplace. Those who smile often are perceived as likable, easy to work with, and more efficient. Take a hard look at yourself and think about how often you smile throughout your workday and challenge yourself to be more positive in your outlook. This may lead to better workplace relationships and create a more positive environment around you.

Just like yawning, smiling is contagious! When was the last time you saw someone smile and didn't smile yourself? The truth is, the more you smile, the more those around you smile. You can create a chain reaction and spread cheeriness around you simply by smiling more often! If you feel like you're surrounded by stress or negative environments, we challenge you to change that yourself by introducing joy into your day, whatever that looks like for you!

If you find you don't smile because you're not confident in your smile, that's okay. That's why we're here. We want to help you love your smile as much as others do. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, give us a call at (425) 329-6267!