Benefits of Smiling for Mental and Physical Health

Are you finding it hard to smile lately? Not only you, along with the difficulties of life today, I think there are many people who feel they have lost their passion for life even just to smile. Even so, try to keep smiling because that's the easiest way to revive your passion in life. Smiling is not just a facial gesture reaction, but also has to do with the production of endorphins in the brain to nourish a person's emotions and physique. Researchers explain that smiling and laughter can stimulate all parts of the body, improve the brain's nervous system, and produce hormones that are useful for the body.

Scientists believe that smiling makes life happier and healthier. When you smile, your body also "smiles". That is, your body feels the effect of joy that is on you. A study also shows that someone who laughs 100 times in 24 hours, he will get benefits like when he does exercise for 10 minutes.

There are many health benefits of smiling. M. Thobroni in his book "The Power of Smile" mentions some of them as follows:

1. Make Your Face More Attractive

A smile is an expression that reflects the natural beauty of a person, or so-called inner beauty. Beauty here does not mean only belongs to women, but also to men. It can be used as a therapy to treat facial beauty and emotions which is known as expression therapy or smile therapy. With a smile, the face will look more attractive. Look in the mirror and try to smile. The face looks more attractive isn't it?

2. Make Ageless

Keep in mind that smiling is a light exercise that can move all facial muscles. This will make the muscles in the face trained so you don't need a face lift or go to an expensive doctor just to treat your face. The more often you smile, the more you will make your face firmer and reduce the wrinkles that cause aging on the face. You will always look younger.

3. Able to Boost the Immune System

The immune function in a person's body works best when a person feels relaxed and comfortable with himself. When you smile, what happens is a sense of relaxation so that it helps improve the function of the immune system to be stronger, so that a person's immune system becomes better. According to a study, a smile can cure a slight feeling of dizziness, flu, and cough. Conversely, someone who rarely smiles is at risk of becoming emotional, prone to heart attacks, high blood pressure, and strokes.

4. Make the Body Feel Comfortable

There is an interesting analogy between a smile and other body movements. Try to pay attention when your body feels uncomfortable, of course you want to make it comfortable by throwing your shoulders back, lifting your chin, moving your hands up, and so on. You will feel more comfortable, right?. The same thing will happen when you purse your lips when you smile. A smile that appears on the face will make your body feel comfortable.

5. Improve Digestive Performance and Improve Intestinal Function

Digestive performance is sometimes related to the food we consume. But apart from that, a happy mood can also play a role in improving digestive performance. By smiling happily, your body will become healthier. If the body is healthy, then your digestion will also work better, so that the intestines can function properly in carrying out their duties.

6. Lowers Blood Pressure

When you smile, there will be a reaction to your blood pressure. Try to prove it. Record your blood pressure when you smile, and also record when you are angry. The results will definitely be different. When you smile, your blood pressure will decrease. Meanwhile, when angry, your blood pressure will rise. Blood pressure that is not high will make you healthy.

7. Control Pain

A smile is a natural and efficacious medicine that can control pain in the body. Because by smiling, the body will produce endorphins (painkillers released by the brain) and serotonin (a hormone in brain cells). Both hormones are able to control pain. If you feel pain, try to smile. You will feel more comfortable and able to forget the pain that strikes.