It is world smile day today. And 'smile' is something that, I believe should be celebrated every day. A smile is a magical wand each one of us has, that can not only save us from a lot of situations but also lighten someone's heart in seconds. However, the smile is also very versatile. While it can make you look attractive, sometimes a lot of other emotions can also be revealed by a single smile. And above everything, smiling has a lot of health benefits attached to it. Apart from improving your personality, the curve on your face can also impact you physically and psychologically.

A review that was done on Smiling called 'Smile: A review' by W. S. Manjula, M. R. Sukumar, S. Kishorekumar, K. Gnanashanmugam, and K. Mahalakshmi concluded, 'In our modern competitive society, a charming smile can open doors and knock down barriers that stand between us and fuller, richer life. It must be understood that there is no universal “ideal” smile. The most important esthetic goal in orthodontics is to achieve a “balanced” smile. The components of the smile should be considered not as rigid boundaries but as artistic guidelines to help the orthodontist to treat individual patients. It is essential for orthodontists to make every effort to develop a harmonious balance that will produce the most attractive smile possible for each patient being treated.' Smile Please! Study Says, You Look Cooler When You Smile.

Health Benefits Associated with Smiling

  1. Muscle Exercise- Smiling is probably the easiest and the most cost-effective face exercise that you come across. Keep smiling to keep your facial muscles tightened and younger.

  2. Glowing Skin- A genuine smile helps your face light up and make your skin look glowing. And like every smile is unique, every smile has a unique way of making you look beautiful.

  3. Improved Mood- Smile tends to uplift your mood almost instantly. According to a study, making yourself smile is the best way to uplift your spirits and induce positive thoughts.

  4. Reduces Stress- Stress is becoming one of biggest killer these days as it is paving the way for various other diseases as well. Making yourself smile genuinely, help you reduce stress.

  5. Help Reduce Hypertension- You should definitely smile more if you suffer from high blood pressure. Research has it that smiling more often helps you increase your heart rate first and then relaxes it to decrease your heart rate and lower your blood pressure. It also enables you to reduce your risk of other heart diseases.

  6. Longer Life- Smiling has been claimed to help you live longer. Smiling and positive thoughts make you increase the longevity of life.

  7. Improved Relationships-More smiles have been known to help improve relationships and bringing in more harmony and mental peace. Smiling more often makes people like you more and that, in turn, helps make you happier. It also helps formulate better relationships. Various studies have even noted that people who smile more often and think positive have stable marriages and better interpersonal skills.

  8. Healthy Immune System- Smiling that often leads to laughter helps release happy hormones inside your body. This, in turn, helps protect your body from stress and illnesses induced from stress.

  9. Reduced Pain- Did you know smiling helps you feel pain lesser? Some studies even claim that smiling helps your body release some sort of natural painkillers. It is said that if you are in pain, watching a funny movie or meeting up people who make you smile/laugh helps you feel the pain, less.

  10. Improving Overall Mental Health- Smile has got a lot to do with your mental health. Smiling more often can help improve your self-confidence and that, in turn, impacts your mental health positively.  Baby Enters the World With Open Arms and a Big Smile, Surprises Everyone!

Also, you shouldn't be looking for reasons to smile. You haven't got time for all the negativity. And as you know a smile is contagious, smile and spread happiness to make this world a better place to live. What say? Let us know in the comments section below.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 05, 2018 03:43 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).