70 Happy Things That Will Make You Smile in Life (2024)

FAQs

How to answer the question "What makes you smile?"? ›

Reading a beautiful poem, receiving a text message from an old friend, enjoying a long walk on a gorgeous morning, or brightening a stranger's day with a compliment. These are the moments that infuse our lives with magic. Smiling shifts our mood.

Studies have shown that smiling releases endorphins, other natural painkillers, and serotonin. 10 Together, these brain chemicals make us feel good from head to toe. Not only do they elevate your mood, but they also relax your body and reduce physical pain.

Your brain is wired to recogni[z]e the facial expressions you make—whether or not intentional—and respond accordingly. So even when you're feeling down, if you force yourself to fake a smile, your brain will think you are happy and respond by releasing endorphins and increasing positive feelings.

Spend time with friends and family. Social time is highly valuable when it comes to improving our happiness, even for introverts. Several studies have found that time spent with friends and family makes a big difference to how happy we feel, generally.

Pearly white smiles are the most attractive because they look clean and well taken care of. Though some discoloration is natural over time, certain lifestyle factors can accelerate the darkening process and cause staining.

Although smiles are generally taken as signs of contentment, humans actually smile for many different reasons. Sometimes we do smile simply because we are happy, but we also smile for social reasons and to put people at ease, as well as to show more complex emotions, such as resignation.

Smiling increases mood-enhancing hormones while decreasing stress-enhancing hormones, including cortisol, and adrenaline. It also reduces overall blood pressure. And because you typically smile when you're happy, the muscles used trigger your brain to produce more endorphins—the chemical that relieves pain and stress.

Known as the Smiling Muscle, the zygomaticus major is most responsible for our smile. It works in conjunction with up to 43 other facial muscles to provide a wide array of smiles. From a sly grin to a full, toothy smile that lights up the whole face, there are a million different smile configurations.

Instead, if you have a hard time smiling naturally, say words that end in "uh," like "mocha" or "yoga" to bring the corners of your mouth up naturally. The video above is a little cringe-worthy, but the tips themselves are sound.

What makes you smile without reason? ›

Usually, people smile because they feel happy or comfortable. However, sometimes they smile when it's actually inappropriate. This is usually caused by nervousness and not knowing how to respond in a given moment. Luckily, smiling inappropriately is a habit that can be changed just like any other.

The Complex Smile

This smile is rare because it requires three muscle groups to work simultaneously when smiling. If you have this smile, the two muscles used in the cuspid and commissure and the lower lip will pull downward, resulting in a double chevron shape.

You smile when you're happy, frown when you're sad, scowl when you're angry—at least, some of the time. After decades of research on emotions, evidence suggests that these signals are a far-from-foolproof way to infer someone's state of mind.

Here are some reasons to show your pearly whites: Smiling makes us feel good. When we smile, the neurotransmitters in our brain are activated and release dopamine, endorphins, and serotonin. This helps to relax our bodies, lower our heart rates, relieve stress and boost mood.

People can smile in situations of joy and celebration, since a smile is usually a reaction of happiness. However, if a person is afraid of expressing emotions due to a myriad of reasons, including feeling self-conscious, they may stop themselves from smiling, whereas another person would be freely smiling non-stop.

The Science Of A Smile

It's called the 'duch*enne Smile' and it activates 36 muscles. When you smile a genuine smile, your eyes will also appear half shut. This is because at the final stage of the smile, the muscles around the eyes, called the orbicular muscles, contract.

"A smile conveys confidence and professionalism," says Lily T. Garcia, DDS, a past president of the American College of Prosthodontists. People who project a positive outlook are generally more open and flexible. They tend to cope better with challenges than people who are withdrawn and unsmiling.