Giving a smile

People who smile are thought to be peaceful, in control of their life, and even attractive. There is plenty of research that shows that smiling is good for you and good for others.

A smile is a short event, lasting 0.66 to 4.0 seconds. Yet, receiving and giving a smile has long-term benefits. Recent research reveals that the intensity of a smile can predict marital happiness, personal wellbeing, and even longevity.

Age, gender, culture, and social setting influence the frequency of smiles as well as the type of smiles. Smiles can be measured on the Facial Action Coding System (FACS) to determine their intensity, and their “genuineness.” A 30-year longitudinal study, by the University of California in 2001, analyzed the facial photographs of 21 year olds and followed-up with the participants when they were aged 52. The results showed that the greater the intensity of their smiles early in life, the greater levels of general wellbeing and marital satisfaction at age 52. In 2010 researchers at Wayne State University rated the smiles of professional baseball players in a 1952 yearbook against their longevity and determined that those with no smiles or false smiles were twice as likely to die earlier than those with genuine, more intense smiles. Researchers at Columbia University conducted tests on the association between smiles and anxiety levels. They believe smiling may help reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and improve digestion.

Each time you are giving a smile to someone, their brain is telling them to smile back.

Smiling is good for others too. When mothers pretended to frown (and turn their smile upside down) their three-month old babies reacted by throwing their fists in distress, and just three minutes of no smiles from their mothers resulted in the babies becoming withdrawn.

Smiling is contagious. A Swedish study wanted to determine the first expression of their participants when faced with pictures of a wide range of emotions. At the same time they monitored the brain – specifically the cingulate cortex – responsible for unconscious automatic responses. With pictures of unhappy faces, respondents automatically mimicked the face they just viewed. With happy smiling facial photographs participants automatically smiled. When participants were told to frown whenever they saw a smiling face they automatically smiled. They found it difficult to frown when viewing a happy face – they had to make a conscious effort to un-mimic what they saw. So people are more likely to automatically smile when others smile at them. If they don’t they are most likely making a conscious effort not to, say the smiling researchers.

Each time you are giving a smile to someone, their brain is telling them to smile back. And therefore by giving a smile you are giving someone a moment or longer of wellbeing and maybe even longevity.