I love your smile...

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Have you ever caught sight of your face in the mirror and noticed that your face looked tight and kind of...frowny? Everyone has heard the benefits of smiling:

1. It's less work (This is the one that's quoted all the time. It's probably not technically true that it takes fewer muscles to smile, but it sounds good!)

2. Smiling actually changes your mood and makes you feel better. There's lots of research on this.

3. People respond better to you when you smile. Good telephone salespeople will tell you that smiling on the phone makes people respond better - but the best research is to try it.

4. Smiling is good for your health. Research has linked smiling to everything from lowered blood pressure and a healthier immune system to longevity, and more likelihood of finding a life-partner.

5. It makes you more attractive. There's lots of research on this, too, but it's so obvious you wonder why anyone wasted the research money.

6. Smiling will keep your face looking younger for longer: tightening the mouth makes wrinkles around the mouth, and eventually those wrinkles will become permanent.

Of course, a fake smile is definitely more work than a habitual frown. So what can we do?

Rather than faking a smile, work on relaxing your face.

Most of us (in American culture) are used to expressing our emotions in our faces. If we are thinking or concentrating, we furrow our brows and tighten our mouths in something that looks like a frown. Last year I saw a photo of some friends and I playing music: every person in the group was "frowning"  - yet we were doing something we loved! 

Here's some ways to help you relax your face:
  • When you exercise or do yoga, make relaxing your face a part of your practice
  • You can practice relaxing your face during any activity, including driving, gardening, knitting, reading, playing golf or playing Sudoku
  • Keep a small mirror around, maybe on your desk or in your kitchen.  Just seeing the mirror itself can help remind you to relax your face
  • A photo of something that reminds you to relax will work just as well: maybe it's someone you love, or maybe it's a great photo of you
It takes a lot of mental focus to relax the facial muscles. It also takes time, not just a day or a week or a month, to erase the habits of a lifetime. But the benefits are amazing. Which of the reasons above will give you the incentive you need to start relaxing your face?

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