Smiles Are The Strongest Natural Drug

I’m a huge advocate for smiling at complete strangers. You don’t have to be overly zealous about the smile lest you appear creepy to others. But honestly, it’s not hard to put a little effort in just showing you’re respectful of public crowds and what they’re doing on any given day. A smile, in a sense, is meant to say “I see you there and understand that you’re busy, but hello.”

But if you go about your day without smiling or acknowledging anyone else, you can come off as a loner, an unhappy person, or even mean and unapproachable.

Is it fair that others may think these things about you? Not really. But again, it takes little to no effort at all to appear pleasant while out and about so that others know you’re just an average human like they are.

Surprisingly, smiling does a heck of a lot more for you than you may have originally considered. Here are a few things smiling can do for you, your social life, and even your health in general.

Smiling makes you more productive

The more you smile, the more you get done. Basically, your brain can be tricked into being more positive and happy, which is when you’re at your most creative and motivated.

Smiling can alter your brain

Smiling from one day to the next can actually reteach your brain to be happier and more positive. Who in their right mind wouldn’t want this sort of change?

Smiling is free and can be contagious

Right. Think of the first response someone gives you when you smile at them. If you didn’t answer “Smile back”, then you were wrong.

There’s some science behind why we do this, but basically our brains learn to copy gestures when you see someone else doing it. If anything, it means to say “I am like you and we are both equal.”

Smiling instills trust

Who would you rather trust? A) Someone who is pleasantly smiling and acknowledges your existence or B) someone who looks at you but doesn’t smile or really seem to care about you at all? Uh, yeah. It’s option A.

Smiling reduces stress

The more you smile, the more you’re able to relax your facial muscles and calm your nervous system. This all leads to reduced stress and more oxygen in your brain. Endorphins are a seriously underrated chemical in your body.