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15 Fascinating Facts about Smiling

I’m a happy person, a glass-half-full, an optimist. So when I see an article about the benefits of smiling, I can’t help but smile myself. Smiling seems so core to a positive workplace, effective customer service, and successful training.

7 Interesting Facts about Smiling

  • Smiles use 5 to 53 facial muscles: Just smiling can require your body to use up to 53 muscles, but some smiles only use 5 muscle movements.
  • Babies are born with the ability to smile: Babies learn a lot of behaviors and sounds from watching the people around them, but scientists believe that all babies are born with the ability since even blind babies smile.
  • Smiles are the most easily recognizable facial expression: People can recognize smiles from up to 300 feet away, making it the most easily recognizable facial expression.
  • Smiling is universal: While handshakes, hugs, and bows all have varying meanings across cultures, smiling is known around the world and in all cultures as a sign of happiness and acceptance.
  • Smiling is easier than frowning: Scientists have discovered that your body has to work harder and use more muscles to frown than it does to smile.
  • There are 19 different types of smiles: UC-San Francisco researcher identified 19 types of smiles and put them into two categories: polite “social” smiles which engage fewer muscles, and sincere “felt” smiles which use more muscles on both sides of the face.
  • Babies start smiling as newborns: Most doctors believe that real smiles occur when babies are awake at the age of four-to-six weeks, but babies start smiling in their sleep as soon as they’re born.
  • Women smile more than men: Generally, women smile more than men, but when they participate in similar work or social roles, they smile the same amount. This finding leads scientists to believe that gender roles are quite flexible. Boy babies, though, do smile less than girl babies, who also make more eye contact.

4 Health Benefits Associated with Smiling

  • Boost your mood: Psychologists have found that even if you’re in bad mood, you can instantly lift your spirits by forcing yourself to smile. Toys and Smiley Balls can help bring out smiles for children and adults alike.
  • Strengthen your immune system: Smiling really can improve your physical health, too. Your body is more relaxed when you smile, which contributes to good health and a stronger immune system.
  • Reduce Stress: When we smile (even if it’s a forced or fake smile), our bodies release endorphins. The rapid change of mood, translates to lower stress and more positive feelings.
  • Smiles are more attractive than makeup: A research study conducted by Orbit Complete discovered that 69% of people find women more attractive when they smile than when they are wearing makeup. The better we feel about ourselves, the happier we are.

4 Reasons why Spreading your Smile Improves the Workplace

  • Smiles are contagious: It’s not just a saying: smiling really is contagious, scientists say. In a study conducted in Sweden, people had difficulty frowning when they looked at other subjects who were smiling, and their muscles twitched into smiles all on their own. If you want a quick reminder to smile, try a Trainers Warehouse Smile Mirror.
  • Smiling helps you get promoted: Smiles make a person seem more attractive, sociable, and confident, and people who smile more are more likely to get a promotion.
  • We smile at work, a lot: While we smile less at work than we do at home, 30% of subjects in a research study smiled five to 20 times a day, and 28% smiled over 20 times per day at the office. Draw out more smiles by talking about the topics that bring you happiness. The Get Happy at Work Thumball or UNZIP-IT Pocket is a wonderful tool to promote positive conversation.
  • Voices sound warmer even on the phone: The reason is not psychological but rather physiological. When you smile, the soft palate at the back of your mouth raises and makes the sound waves more fluid. … The same applies to telephone chatter. Smiling helps your voice to sound friendly, warm, and receptive.

 

NOTE: I found much of this content on in this article on PickTheBrain.com

 

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