It’s World Smile Day!

We’re celebrating World Smile Day on this feel good Friday, and what better way is there to feel good than by smiling?

Smile at a stranger, smile at a colleague, smile because it’s the start of a new month, smile because it’s a new month, smile because the Discovery Jacaranda FM Spring Walk is tomorrow and you just can’t wait. Whatever your reason, just smile!

And if you aren’t smiling yet, watch this clip of some of our cutest furry friends smiling. It bound to make you smile.

Still not smiling yet? Well, to convince you, here are five health benefits of smiling:

Smiling lowers stress and anxiety

A study by PubMed revealed that when recovering from a stressful situations, study participants who were smiling had lower heart rates than those with a neutral facial expression.

Smiling is contagious

Because of complex brain activity that occurs when you see someone smiling, smiles are contagious. If I see you smiling, I’m smiling too!

Smiling releases endorphins

Smiling can help you manage stress and anxiety by releasing endorphins, chemicals that makes you happier. Endorphins are the same chemicals you get from working out or running, resulting in what is known as a runner’s high. Smile more to get that high without running.

Smiling strengthens your immune system

Smiling even makes your immune system stronger by making your body produce white blood cells to help fight illnesses. One study found that hospitalized children who were visited by story-tellers and puppeteers who made them smile and laugh had higher white blood cell counts than those children who weren’t visited.