Above: Dr. Schaeffer and her sisters
In recent years, research has been showing a strong link between oral health and systemic conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease. What perhaps may not be as well known, is the positive effects that a smile can have on your overall health.
Smiling has been linked to many benefits, including relieving stress, boosting your immune system, decreasing heart rate and blood pressure, and stimulating the production of endorphins (natural painkillers).
A smile can positively influence our self esteem, make us look younger and more confident, and in turn can increase our chances of success at work and in our personal relationships. People are attracted to smiles (study in Aberdeen, Scotland, 2011).
Some interesting research has made news this past year, linking smiling to positive effects on stress reduction. Smiling has been shown to reduce the heart rate after stress inducing tasks by a study at the University of Kansas, published in Psychological Science in November 2012.
A study at Wayne State University, in Detroit, Michigan in 2010, found an association between smiling for photographs and living longer!
Your smile can even have a positive impact on others. A 2002 study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Psychology found that a smile is contagious; even seeing a picture of a smiling face can cause us to involuntarily smile in return and provides us with the same positive benefits that a smile brings.
So next time you are feeling down or stressed out, smile and improve your health and the health of those around you!
Yours in better overall health,
Dr. Schaeffer and Dr. Isaacs