The Value of a Smile

William Hartel is the associate editor of AGD Impact, a publication of the Academy of General Dentistry, and he wrote a recent editorial on the value of a smile. He states that according to publications such as Redbook, Cosmopolitan, and Reader’s Digest, a smile is one of the first things to spark interest in a potential mate. Smiling is also a contributor to release of a hormone called Oxytocin into the bloodstream that helps lead to a feeling of contentment and a sense of bonding. Smiling can activate pleasure centers that can help you feel happier just by smiling.  This is backed by an article from the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology that states “there is ample evidence that when you smile it leads to the intensification of happiness”.

Smiles can also be contagious. “Emotional contagion” describes how emotions from one person can be transferred to others. I think we all have experienced this in our lives. The effects of smiling can also be carried over to the workplace where bosses are more likely to to promote or provide a favorable job assessment to people that smile a lot. I will close with a quote from Dale Carnegie, author of “How to Win Friends and Influence People”, a smile “enriches those who receive, without making poorer those who give”.

Call us to help you with the smile you can carry with pride each day.