5 Reasons Why Smiling Is Good for You

I’m Virginia-based school assembly presenter Joe Romano. For the last 30+ years, I’ve traveled to Maryland, Connecticut, Virginia, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and even our nation’s capital Washington DC to deliver amazingly popular school assemblies. Each month I write helpful articles for parents, teachers, principals, and anyone who works with kids.

Putting together my new Smile-themed assembly program has been a lot of fun. While developing this show, I focused a lot on the idea of smiling and using the word ‘smile’ as an acronym. But there is so much more to smiling! Let’s dive in…

Why Smiling is Good for You #1: Smiling Reduces Stress

This sounds silly, but smiling actually reduces stress! Before I explain, realize that all emotions are at their core chemical chemical-based. When we ‘feel’ something, it’s because internal or external stimuli trigger different chemical releases in our bodies.

Our feelings are based on these chemicals flooding our systems. Stress is what we feel when we are nervous, upset, or worried about something. The result? Our body gets flooded with those chemicals. It’s a fight-or-flight response. Our bodies get flooded with adrenaline as our systems literally prepare to do battle or flee.

Smiling VS Fight or Flight

Most of the time when we feel stress we are not in real danger. But our bodies don’t know that. They just release those chemicals when it's deemed necessary. But where does smiling come in?

Simple. Smiling activates certain muscles that move when we are happy, laughing, or feeling other positive emotions. Engaging those muscles helps trigger the appropriate chemical responses in our bodies. If we smile, we are telling our bodies that everything is okay, we don’t need to activate our fight or flight responses.

The simple act of smiling then becomes a quick easy way to lower stress!

Why Smiling is Good for You #2: Smiling Equals Trustworthiness

When we meet someone for the first time, a lot is going on internally. Our bodies are evaluating the new person in front of us rapidly. All of these responses are extremely fast. Many of these responses are subconscious, meaning we are not even aware that we are doing anything.

This evaluation is looking for certain signals to let us know if this new person is a friend or foe. Well, what kind of signals tell us a person may be dangerous? Plenty of things. A furrowed brow, hunched back, balled up fists, threatening glare – all of these things and more signal to us that a person may be a threat.

What about smiling? Most of the time, when someone smiles, they are happy and nonthreatening. If you deliberately smile when meeting someone, you’re signaling to them you are not a threat.

Smiling is also a trait of someone trustworthy. By smiling at people, you are signaling you are honest and approachable. Just with a smile!

Why Smiling is Good for You #3: Longer Life

Can smiling extend your life? Some studies seem to prove it. One study looked at an old picture of a baseball team. Some of the players in the photo were smiling. Others were not. After tracking down each player, the study discovered something remarkable.

The players who smiled in the picture lived an average of almost seven years longer than the folks pictured who did not smile. Was it just the smiling that caused them to live longer?

There were probably many factors at play. But considering how harmful long-term stress is, reducing those feelings can only help your long-term health. If smiling can help reduce your stress and anxiety, then why not? Why not make smiling more part of your everyday life? You’ll feel better, people will trust you more, and it just might help you live longer!

Introduce Your Students to the Power of S.M.I.L.E.!

My school assembly on good character uses smiling as its focus! Well, the word smile becomes an acronym for living your life! This amazing school assembly is filled with magic, audience participation, important messages, kid-friendly humor, and so much more. To find out more information, contact me about my ‘Smile Assembly’ today!