​15 Fascinating Facts About Smiling

Everyone smiles; it's human nature. While a smile seems simple, there is far more scientific and social meaning behind upturned lips than most people probably realize. These fifteen fascinating facts about smiling will make people want to grin all the more.

1. Smiles are contagious. Something in a warm smile stimulates others in the room to want to do the same. You never know when your smile can make someone’s day a little brighter.
2. Big smiles promote a longer, healthier life. When a person smiles, the body releases feel-good endorphins, which makes a person happier, and serotonin, which reduces stress levels. It also decreases cortisol, resulting in a healthier immune system. (So, since cortisol adds inches to your belly, does that mean smiling helps keep you from getting a spare tire?)
3. Babies are born with the ability to smile. While babies learn many things from observing their surroundings, they supposedly smile even before they leave the womb. Even babies born blind will smile at only a few weeks of age. (Ah Ha! So it isn’t just gas.)
4. Employers are more likely to promote a smiling employee. A genuine smile makes a person appear confident, sociable, and powerful, which is what most employers look for in a worker. No one likes a negative nelly around the workplace anyways.
5. Smiles stand out. More than fifty percent of surveyed people have stated that they notice a smile above clothes, scent, and hair.
6. It is easier to smile than to frown. It is thought that it takes an average of forty facial muscles to frown and about twenty to smile. Frowning would be one instance of a muscle group you don’t want to work too much!
7. Smiles are beautiful. Most test subjects said that they found people who smiled to be more attractive than those who didn't. Sixty-nine percent of people in another study stated that they considered a smile more beautiful than makeup. A perfect example of the natural beauty you were born with.
8. It is thought that a human can detect a smile from more than three-hundred feet away. This phenomenon is due to a human's natural need and desire to distinguish friends from enemies. Consider approaching strangers the way you would a strange dog, friendly and non-threatening.
9. Smiling people are treated differently. A person with a genuine grin encourages confidence and trust in his or her companions, as well as in strangers. Yet another opportunity to be the sunshine for those around you.
10. There are nineteen different kinds of smiles. They are separated into two main categories: "polite" and "heartfelt." In other words, save tightlipped smiles for your enemies. Unless of course you want to kill them with kindness, then you flash them a big toothy grin!
11. Smiling makes people sound friendly when they talk. In a phone conversation, one can usually distinguish when the person on the other line is smiling, due to the warmth and friendliness in the tone of voice. If you work in the customer service field, you’ve probably mastered this technique.
12. Women typically smile more often than men. Women smile about sixty times per day, while men usually smile no more than ten. However, it has been shown that women who undertake the same work as men smile just as often as their male colleagues do. ( Hmmmm, sounds like they need a career change.)
13. A forced smile can boost a sour mood. Psychologists have found that just forcing a smile can wipe away a bad mood. I find this works especially well when you talk in that fake, high pitched positive voice even when you’re saying something not so positive, ha!
14. Both genders are not equally attracted to smiles. Studies show that most women are more attracted to men who smile less, while men find smiling women to be more beautiful. I don’t mind if you smile too much or not, as long as you don’t pull the “Zoolander” look.
15. Smiles are a worldwide accepted sign of happiness. Hugs and handshakes have different meanings everywhere; however, smiling is recognized in every culture as a sign of happiness, warmth, and friendship.

Not only does a simple smile hold many benefits, but it is a fascinating social tool as well. People with smiles on their faces can affect the mood, health, and aura of everyone around them in a positive way. A smile is a beautiful thing.