12 Interesting Facts About Smiles You Never Knew

Did you know that smiling could save your life? So, why not give a smile? Bring a smile to a child's face by donating to Smile Train.

1. Smiling is contagious.

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According to science, neurons in the brain have a synchronizing feature that keeps you in sync with who are you speaking to. If they smile, you'll smile!

2. Smiling is like medicine.

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Genuine smiles — where you smile big enough to squint your eyes — boosts your immune system by decreasing cortisol in you body.

3. Smiling is our first facial expression.

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Sure, it might not mean anything until we're a little bit older, but babies start smiling in the womb.

4. Forcing yourself to smile when you're sad will actually elevate your mood.

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Thanks to endorphins from smiling, faking it till you make it actually works!

5. Smiling makes you look prettier.

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Studies have proven that 70% of people find smiling faces to be better-looking than faces with makeup.

6. Smiling can reduce blood pressure.

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Not only will those endorphins elevate your mood, but they will also lower your blood pressure — so essentially, smiles save lives!

7. Smiling is a form of exercise!

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It takes 26 muscles to smile – so work out your face!

8. Employers tend to promote people who smile often.

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Smiling shows your boss that you are engaged and easy to work with, i.e. it's your way up the corporate ladder.

9. There are 19 different types of smiles.

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Scientists have determined that there are 19 kinds of smiles ranging from overjoyed to polite.

10. It's easier to smile than frown.

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While, contrary to popular belief, it takes more muscles to smile than to frown, it's easier to smile since we've worked out those muscles more.

11. We can detect smiles from far away.

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Humans can detect smiles from more than 300 feet away, which developed out of a need to be able to distinguish friend from foe.

12. Smiling is a universal sign for happiness.

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While it's not always easy to identify a genuine smile, all people — and even some animals — recognize a smile and what it means.