You know what they say: smiling is contagious! And yes, it really is. In fact, it’s also been proven to be contagious! In this blog, we will cover a number of reasons that smiling is actually good for you, your health, and your overall mood.

1. Smiling can help strengthen your immune system: Believe it or not, smiling has been proven to boost your immune system, which can be helpful in those seasons where everyone tends to become ill! Even though the majority of studies that have been done focused on children, it was found that those who smiled had a higher white blood cell count than those who didn’t smile. White blood cells are a crucial part of how your body fights diseases and other illnesses.
2. Smiling can help lower anxiety and stress: We all know that smiling is associated with being happy, joyful, or finding something funny. But it can also help to lower both stress and anxiety for a quick feeling of relief from a situation. When you feel anxious or stressed, your heart rate is faster than normal. Smiling has proven to help lower your heart rate, which in turn helps to alleviate anxiety and stress.
3. Smiling has been linked to releasing endorphins: For those who don’t already know, your body releases endorphins when you’re doing something positive or physically beneficial – like running and working out. While you should be doing both of those things to lead a healthy life, smiling has been proven to release endorphins as well. Basically, smiling will help you to feel happier, even if you’re caught in a less than desirable situation.
4. Smiling makes you come off as more trustworthy: While you’re probably already a pretty trustworthy person, others might not think so. A study from the University of Pittsburgh showed that, compared to people who didn’t smile, people who smiled in meetings or conversations seemed to be more trustworthy and approachable. While this can help in everyday life, it also has the effects of being beneficial in your professional life, too.