'Aw, give us a smile'
We could all do with some top smile tips right now! There are lots of things that a simple smile can do, and helping you cheer yourself up is just one of them. Don't believe us? Here are 15 fascinating facts about smiling that back the theory up:
1. Mood Lifter Even a forced smile can boost your mood - In a funk? Psychologists agree that even though it might be totally fake, forcing a smile can be an instant mood booster.
2. Born With It We're all born with the ability to smile - Most of the things that babies learn to do they pick up from others in their new world as they go along. Smiling - like crying - is not one of those things though, we are all born with the ability to smile. Want some proof? Even blind babies smile.
3. Practice Them All There are, apparently, 19 different 'types' of human smile - According to research done at the University of San Francisco in the States (yes, someone got paid to do this), there are 19 different types of smile that a human can contort their face into, ranging from the slightly terse, polite 'social smiles' (the ones that the Queen is very good at) to the more genuine 'felt' smiles that use far more muscles.
4. Ladies vs Gents Ladies smile more than gents - According to researchers this habit begins at birth. Girls will smile more and make more eye contact as babies and in general this continues throughout life. The one exception? When people are performing the same task or job, then they tend to smile in equal measure.
5. General Health Smiling can make you healthier - Smiling can help relieve stress and lower the blood pressure. Or at least that's what researchers say.
6. Colds Smiling can ward off a cold - Well, sort of. Smiling has been shown to boost the immune system, something that should help keep the sniffles at bay.
7. Pass It On Smiling is contagious - You know yourself it's hard to stay grumpy if those around you are grinning from ear to ear. Science backs this up too, as research has found that even when people are asked to try and not smile around other happy folk their muscles twitch into a smirk by themselves.
8. For The Ladies Smiling Attracts More Blokes than Makeup - Listen up ladies. According to a study commissioned by Orbit (the chewing gum folks) 69% of those surveyed found women more attractive when bare faced and smiling than when made up to the nines.
9. For The Guys Smiling Attracts More Women Too Guys - The people questioned for that survey were both male and female. And women also put a great smile very near the top of their lists of things they found attractive in men.
10. Face Workout Smiling uses between 5 and 53 muscles, according to its 'depth' so a big cheesy grin can be a great facial workout.
11. Friendly Face Smiling will help you make friends - Looking to make some new friends at the beach this summer? The smile, as, according to the experts this will make you seem more approachable and friend-worthy without you even having to say a word.
12. It's Easy It's easier to smile than frown - Smiling uses fewer muscles and takes less effort than it does to frown. You'll get fewer wrinkles if you smile more and frown less too.
13. Job Success Smiling will help your career - Want to score a promotion at work? Get smiling more often, as its been shown that smiley people have better career prospects than grumpy ones.
14. Invisible Smiles You can hear a smile - If you've ever worked as a phone rep chances are that the boss always told you to smile as you speak, even though the person on the end of the line can't see you. Why? Because science has found that smiles can also be 'heard' and if you smile while speaking it will aurally 'translate' into a friendlier, more trustworthy, tone.
15. Universal Smiling is universally recognised - While handshakes and hugs can mean different things in different cultures, a smile is a universally recognisable sign of happiness that is understood in any language.
The #EmergencyDentist Says:
All of this is great, but don't forget it's summer in Sydney, Bondi Beach is beckoning and there's a cold one waiting with your name on it. How can you not smile at the thought of all that?