The science of smiles

You’ve probably heard that it takes more muscles to frown than it does to smile – while that’s a nice reason to keep a smile on your face, there is so many more reasons your should be cracking a grin.

Let’s start from the beginning – did you know that smiling isn’t a learned behavior but an inherited trait? Humans are the only species with the facial muscles that pull the mouth into a smile! While studying blind and deaf children, scientists have noted that their smiles appear as an expression of joy and happiness, thus, smiling is not a product of learning.

Smiling reduces stress that your body and mind feel, almost similar to getting good sleep, according to recent studies and smiling helps to generate more positive emotions within you. That’s why we often feel happier around children – they smile more. On average, children smile around 400 times a day. Happy people still smile 40-50 times a day, but the average person only smiles 20 times per day.

Why does this matter? Smiling leads to decrease in the stress-induced hormones that negatively affect your physical and mental health, say the latest studies.

The next time you’re told to, “say cheese,” think about the science behind your smile!