The Power of Smiling

We’re a little nerdy at Hallmark Orthodontics, and we regularly listen to TED Talks about all sort of topics. One older talk from 2011 recently came up in an office discussion, and we figured we should share it with all of our patients.

This is Ron Gutman’s talk titled “The Hidden Power of Smiling,” and it’s only about 7 minutes long. We think everyone should watch it!

Among other things, he discussses how smiling can actually lower your blood pressure and reduce levels of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. People perceive smilers as being more confident, successful, and attractice, AND people with bigger smiles actually live longer!

A study out of the University of California in Berkeley studied the smiles of pre-1950 baseball players and found that those with bigger smiles actually outlived their compatriots…. that’s a pretty compelling reason to put a smile on your face.

So, though it may be counterintuitive, when you are really down or stressed, try plastering a big old smile on your face and see what happens!