Reasons to be Cheerful...

If you think smiling is a facial expression that you make when you are happy you are right but there is much more to it than that.?

The psychology of your smile whether it is genuine or not, can act on your body and mind in positive ways, offering benefits for your health, your mood, and even the moods of people around you.

Did you know that there are three different types of smiles??

Reward: Smiles that indicate approval, happiness, contentment, and other positive feelings.

Affiliation: Smiles that communicate positive intention, trustworthiness, belongingness, compassion, and social connection.

Dominance: Smiles intended to show contempt, disgust, or superiority and have been found to increase stress hormone?levels in people they are directed toward. Now you know the different types here are some reasons you need to smile more often

1) Smiling Helps You Live Longer? Probably the best reason to smile more is because?it may help?you live longer with one study confirming that genuine, intense smiling is associated with a longer life.?Unfortunately, the study did not find out why happy people seem to enjoy better health and longevity, but maintaining a happy, positive mood seems to be an important part of a healthy lifestyle.

2)?Smiling lifts your mood and is a natural antidepressant Smiling can help make you feel happy so the next time you are feeling down, try putting on a smile. The physical act of smiling activates pathways in your brain that influence your emotional state triggering the release of neuropeptides that improve your neural communication and neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin, which can boost your mood.. By adopting a happy facial expression, you can "trick" your brain into entering a state of happiness and the best bit is that it works whether or not your smile is genuine.

3)?Smiling Reduces Pain Studies have shown that smiling releases endorphins, other natural painkillers, and serotonin.??Together, these brain chemicals make you?feel good not only elevating?your mood but relaxing?your body and reducing?physical pain. Smiling is a natural drug and you can't overdose on it.

4)?Smiling Makes You Attractive (and look younger!) Have you noticed how you?are drawn to people who smile? While we naturally avoid people frowning, scowling, and grimacing smiley people are seen as more attractive—and people may even assume you have more positive personality traits if you're smiling. Not only can smiling make you more attractive it can also make you look more youthful as the muscles we use to smile also lift the face, making you appear younger.?

5)?Smiling Helps You Stay Positive Try this test: Smile. Now try to think of something negative without losing the smile. It's hard, isn't it? Smiling can influence your feelings of positivity, even if it feels unnatural or forced. Regardless of whether or not your smile is genuine, it still sends the message that "Life is good!" to your brain and, ultimately, the rest of your body.

Now you know that smiling can be so beneficial to your health I hope you will be doing much more of it ????