How smiling can impact mental health

When you smile, your brain releases tiny molecules called neuropeptides to help fight off stress. Then other neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin and endorphins come into play too. The endorphins act as a mild pain reliever, whereas the serotonin is an antidepressant.

https://www.sclhealth.org/blog/2019/06/the-real-health-benefits-of-smiling-and-laughing/#:~:text=When%20you%20smile%2C%20your%20brain,the%20serotonin%20is%20an%20antidepressant.

It turns out the benefits of smiling aren’t just limited to yourself — it can also affect those around you too. We’ve already talked about how our brains react when we smile, but we’re also rewarded when we see someone else smile too! The reward center of our brain is activated and it makes us feel a little better. Plus, one Swedish study suggests that we can’t help but react with a smile of our own when we see someone smiling — so it’s an all-out infectious loop of happiness.

Happy in the Face, Boss in the Workplace

Feel-good benefits aside, smiling and happiness can actually affect your job performance. A team of economists performed a study and found that “human happiness has large and positive causal effects on productivity. Positive emotions appear to invigorate human beings, while negative emotions have the opposite effect." Another study linked decision-making, processing and learning to the release of dopamine triggered by happiness, so smiling can also make you a more creative and efficient worker.

So the next time you’re feeling like a pick-me-up, try busting out a toothy grin and it could give you the lift you’re looking for. And if you’re already in a good mood, why not flash those pearly whites at a stranger and pass along the good vibes?

- SCLHealth.org (linked above)

https://www.psychreg.org/psychological-benefits-of-smiling/

A smile doesn’t have to be genuine to boost your mood. In fact, it’s a tool you can use when you’re feeling down to bring you back up.

It brings stress levels down

Since we’ve now learned that smiling sends certain chemicals and signals to your brain, we can understand how the simple act is a mood mechanism. But further than just mood-boosting, smiling can also reduce stress by releasing chemicals called endorphins, which lower stress levels and bring about a sense of mild euphoria.

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Who suffers the most with stress? 

 

Studies show that people aged 16 - 24 suffer the most with stress, this is due to growing up and becoming an adult, these years of your life are intimidating because it is all new ground to tread on. The pressure of adulthood, working, funding for yourself is scary and can make people very anxious and stressed.

 

American Psychological Association (2018)