25 Smile Facts

Facts About Smiling for Humans & Animals

Smiling is the universal sign of happiness. Handshakes, hugs, and bows all mean different things to different people, but smiling spans across all cultures. Read further for more smile facts and uncovered conundrums surrounding the art of smiling, and make this summer a summer of smiles!

• It is scientifically proven that people are attracted to those who smile and are pushed away  by those who frown or scowl. A study conducted by Orbit found that 69% of people preferred a smiling face not wearing makeup to a non-smiling, makeup-wearing face!
• Did you know that you can trick yourself into being in a better mood simply by smiling? Try it! It’s hard to be down when you have a genuine smile on!
• Smiling helps you relax and boosts your immune system.

• Smiling lowers blood pressure.
• Smiling releases endorphins and relieves stress.
• Smiling is a sometimes referred to as a natural pain killer!
• Smiles are contagious- a study done in Sweden at Uppsala University showed that people struggled to frown when they looked at other people who were smiling, and their muscles twitched into smiles on their own!
• It takes 62 muscles to frown, but only 26 muscles to smile!
• The two muscles that create a smile are the zygomatic major and the orbicularis oculi.
• Other muscles can simulate a smile, but only the two above create a genuine, involuntary smile.
• Duchenne smiles are the scientific name for genuine smiles.
• The crinkling in the corner of the eyes is a tell-tale sign of a genuine smile.
• People who smile are more likely to get a promotion.
• Smiles are the most easily recognized facial expression; they can be recognized from over 300 feet away.
• Women smile more than men.
• Women are more likely to tell the difference between a genuine and a fake smile.
• Babies start smiling as soon as they are born in their sleep. They start voluntarily smiling as soon as four weeks of age.

• Newborns prefer a smiling person to a non-smiling person.
• A dog smiles by wagging its tail!
• It is rare to smile when reading a funny passage from a book on our own, but when that same passage is read out loud to us, or even if other people are in the room, most people are likely to smile then.
• American emoticons focus on the mouth   :)   :(   whereas Japanese emoticons focus on the eyes ^_^     - _-    
• Studies show that Japanese emphasize the upper half of a face when determining its trustworthiness, whereas Americans focus on the lower half.
• Primates smile for all the same reasons humans do.
• The orbitofrontal cortex, which distinguishes feelings for people with whom we have a close relationship from others, becomes active when parents see their own babies smile, but not other babies.
• When people subconsciously mimic a false smile, they don’t experience the same brain activity as an authentic one. This mismatch lets them know something’s wrong.
• Research has found that a slow onset smile (a smile that takes longer to spread across the face) is found to be more trustworthy, authentic, and sometimes flirtatious than a fast onset smile.

And don't forget- sending flowers is a sure way to deliver a smile!