You may think that a smile is simply a good way of being polite to other people. But, in fact, smiling affects us in many other ways that we may not even be aware of. One of the most basic needs of each and every human being is self-esteem, or feeling positive about ourselves and our place in the world. It’s vital for our mental health to feel accepted and that we are, in some way, important to others. Without self-esteem, it’s hard to have good relationships with other people. In fact, many studies have shown that people who engage in criminal behavior often have very low self-esteem.
If you feel that your self-esteem could be improved, it’s simple to take the first step to changing it: all you have to do is smile. Believe it or not, the simple act of smiling really does make you feel better about yourself and your place in the world. Smiling will immediately give you a more positive outlook on life. There’s a physiological reason for this: smiling releases endorphins in your brain, and those endorphins make you feel happier.
But the power of a smile doesn’t stop there. Smiling at other people not only helps you feel better about yourself and life in general, it helps other people do the same. Have you ever wondered why people that you smile at typically smile back? As it turns out, there are neurons in our brains that are responsible for that reaction – they make us mimic the facial expressions of other people. When you smile at someone and get a smile in return, they’re not only being polite – they’re reacting based on what their brain is telling them to do. So your smile not only positively affects your own self-esteem and your outlook on the world, it helps others do the same!
It may be hard to believe that one little smile can do so much to improve our lives, but it’s true. Try it for yourself to find out. Even during the hardest times of your life, try smiling. This simple, endorphin-releasing act can be more powerful than you can imagine! In fact, you can almost instantly improve your self-esteem and your outlook on the world by simply smiling. And it’s physically much easier to smile than to frown, since a frown requires 113 muscles and a smile requires only 12! There’s no time like the present to discover the power of your own smile.
Call today for an appointment with the dental team at Cedar Park Premier Dentistry, we would love to help you achieve the healthy and beautiful smile you’ve always wanted! (512) 782-0821
