Discover Joy: Top 13 Amazing Fun Facts About Smiling That'll Brighten Your Day

1. Babies Practice Smiling in the Womb

Even the Mona Lisa started as a sketch after all: babies actually hone their blinking, sucking, and crying skills in the womb, but smiling is an extra-special talent they don't start practicing until around 33 weeks or earlier, according to pediatrician Denise Scott. And while they may flash a grin from day one, it can take up to three months for little ones to master that dazzling, deliberate smile that steals hearts!
Source => thebump.com

2. Duchenne Smile's Secret Recipe

Who knew a smile was like a cookie, with two essential ingredients to make it just right: the Duchenne recipe calls for a blend of zygomaticus major muscle and orbicularis oculi pars lateralis muscle, and voilà, you're suddenly a social magnet! : The serious secret is that the Duchenne smile, which involves those two muscles, not only signifies happiness but also makes the person seem more likeable, attractive, and intelligent, while getting rid of crow's feet lines with botulinum toxin could actually decrease the perceived quality and happiness ratings of that smile, according to a study.
Source => frontiersin.org

Unleash your hidden superhero power by simply flashing a toothy grin! Discover how smiling lowers heart rate, boosts mood, and increases productivity. Get ready to make the world happier, one cheeky grin at a time! 😄✨

=> Fun Facts about Happiness

3. Smiling Uses Fewer Muscles than Frowning

Whoever said "turn that frown upside down" must have really understood facial aerobics: turns out, no one can fully agree on how many muscles it takes to smile or frown, with estimates ranging from fou to 72 for frowning and 10 to 43 for smiling. But, it seems that smiling does require fewer muscles than frowning, so maybe it really is easier to be the life of the party than a grumpy gus. Bonus: even a fake smile can boost your mood to genuine happiness!
Source => snopes.com

4. Smiles are Contagious like Dominoes

Feeling like a human smileosaur, spreading joy like wildfire and grinning your way through a vibrant game of pass-the-laughter? That's because smiling has a sneaky domino effect on our moods: Research suggests that your brain automatically processes and sometimes mimics other people's facial expressions, meaning your smile might just make the whole room a little happier and more positive.
Source => verywellmind.com

5. Japanese Poker Face

Heard about the Japanese poker face? They've got it down pat, thanks to their culture bottlenecking the smile market: In Japan, overt displays of emotion are frowned upon, causing Japanese people to focus more on the eyes than the mouth when expressing or reading emotions, making them adept at discerning genuine smiles from the fake ones.
Source => toppandigital.com

6. Smiles Spread Happiness Faster than Butter

Behold the mystical power of the humble smile, capable of spreading happiness faster than butter on a warm slice of toast: Smiling releases mood-boosting neuropeptides and triggers the brain's reward center, while also causing an infectious and unstoppable chain reaction of grins amongst those in your presence, as proven by a Swedish study.
Source => sclhealth.org

7. Genuine Smiles Lower Stress

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade – or better yet, just flash a Duchenne smile and save your teeth: A heartwarming study reveals that maintaining a genuine, full-fledged smile during stressful situations lowers your heart rate during recovery, with the effect even stronger for the cheek-raising, crow's feet-creating Duchenne smiles, named after 19th-century muscle mapper Guillaume Duchenne.
Source => healthline.com

8. Ancient Greeks and Romans' Gritty Grins

Before YouTube tutorials and minty fresh tubes, there were gritty grins: Ancient Greeks and Romans fashioned toothpaste with crushed bone, oyster shells, and powdered charcoal, scrubbing their teeth to pearly perfection and freshening their breath.
Source => olneydental.com

9. Duchenne Smiles Help You Live Longer

Who knew that putting on a happy face was more than just a Mary Poppins song? It's practically a prescription for a long and healthy life! Step in time and smile, go on, show us your pearly whites: Genuine smiles, known as Duchenne smiles, as well as their faux counterparts can help lower heart rates, speed up stress recovery, and even give you a ticket to a longer life compared to those who prefer to keep their emotions under lock and key. So, go ahead - smile away and tap dance your way to a healthier, happier life!
Source => extension.umn.edu

10. Laughter Can Save Lives

Why did the woman giggle her way out of the doctor's office? She knew her laughter had life-saving abilities: A study in Psychosomatic Medicine revealed that individuals with a strong sense of humor, particularly women with high scores in humor's cognitive aspect, have a lower risk of mortality from diseases like cardiovascular disease and infection, thus potentially leading to a longer life.
Source => scientificamerican.com

11. Smiling Hugs Your Heart

Ever feel like your heart could use a hug from your face? Look no further than turning that frown upside down: Smiling releases endorphins, dopamine, serotonin, and neuropeptides that not only reduce stress but also improve heart rate and help us recover faster from stress-inducing situations.
Source => sclhealth.org

12. "Say Cheese" Around the World

From 'say cheese' to chomping on cabbage: The popular phrase "say cheese" made its way into photography lingo in the 1940s, and while its origins remain shrouded in mystery, it's likely chosen for its double 'ee' vowel, artfully contorting mouths into smiles. Around the globe, countries have cooked up their own delightful variations, with Bulgarians flashing grins over "cabbage" and Hungarians beaming at "small bird." The Germans, however, have opted for the scrumptious choice of "Käsekuchen," or "cheesecake," proving that a slice of humor can truly make a picture-perfect smile.
Source => culturecheesemag.com

13. Yawning Zombies vs. Cheshire Cat Grins

Ever wondered why yawns are contagious, but instead of looking like sleep-deprived zombies, we could be grinning from ear to ear like Cheshire cats? Well, buckle up for this infectious slice of knowledge: Smiling sparks sensorimotor simulation in our brains, causing us to unknowingly mimic the expression, which in turn helps us empathize and respond appropriately to others' emotions. But don't get too carried away – facial expressions alone can't always cover the whole emotional spectrum, and some folks with developmental or neurological disorders might find it harder to join in on this smile-sharing party.
Source => huffpost.com