The Many Benefits of Smiling

How Smiling Can Improve Your Health

Your smile is often one of the first things people notice about you. If you have missing teeth, it may discourage you from smiling around others. That’s why Dr. Barras recommends dental implants to restore health and beauty to your smile.

In addition to making you look more youthful and attractive, smiling has been linked to a variety of health benefits. Explore our guide to learn the advantages of smiling more often.

Improve Your Mood

Smiling doesn’t just make you look happy — it actually makes you feel happy too. Every time you smile, chemicals called endorphins are released in your brain, helping you feel positive and relaxed.

As a result, smiling can immediately improve your mood.

Reduce Your Stress

All of us have stress in our lives and some of us struggle to manage it more than others. According to research, smiling when you feel stressed can decrease your anxiety and lower your heart rate, even if you’re faking it.

The next time you’re feeling overwhelmed, try smiling and see how it affects you.

Increase Your Confidence

When you’re hesitant to smile around others, it can hurt your ability to meet people and make strong first impressions. This leads to social embarrassment, low self-esteem, and eventually depression.

Alternatively, when you greet people with a friendly and confident smile, they’ll find you more approachable as a result.

Extend Your Lifespan

Beyond making you look younger, smiling may actually add years to your life. A study conducted by Wayne University found that people who smile often live an average of seven years longer than those who don’t.

Frequent smiling promotes feelings of optimism and contentedness, potentially helping you live longer.

Smiling is Contagious

In addition to improving your own mood, smiling can actually lift the spirits of everyone around you. Every time you smile at someone, their brain interprets your expression and subconsciously reflects it back to you.

This reflex is called facial mimicry, and you can use it to spread happiness wherever you go.

Visit Dr. Barras For Dental Implants

If missing teeth are preventing you from sharing your smile, Dr. Barras can help you regain your confidence with dental implants. As the only permanent, natural-looking replacement for missing teeth, they offer a range of benefits that other treatment options can’t match.

Call our office in Lafayette, LA at 337-210-8192 and schedule a complimentary consultation today.