Forced Smiles Can Relieve Stress, Experts Say
ROUND LAKE, IL-Let’s say that your teenager is having a hectic day. They could be anxious about a major test, a problem with a friend or their sporting event later in the evening. The last thing on their mind is to smile.
According to Psychological Science, even the most forced of smiles can decrease your stress and liven your mood. The study looked at two smiles, the standard and the Duchenne. The standard smile is located in the muscles surrounding the mouth, while the Duchenne (genuine) smile spreads to the eyes and feels more natural.
Researchers involved used chopsticks to manipulate the facial muscles of 169 participants. Some had neutral expressions, genuine smiles or standard smiles. The participants were instructed to hold their facial expressions while going through a number of multitasking activities. The researchers monitored stress levels and heart rates during the study.
At the conclusion of the experiment, it was determined that those who maintained a smile during the stressful activites had lower heart rates and stress levels. Even though the participants holding the Duchenne smiles reported the lowest of stress levels, those with forced smiles indicated an easier experience than those who didn’t smile at all.
Dr. Michael Stosich of Stosich Consulting treats each of his patients with the goal of them not just having a beautiful smile, but wanting to smile more.
“We try to get the point across that we don’t just want to create straighter teeth for our patients,” says Dr. Stosich. “We want them to feel good about themselves and be confident in what they’re doing. That leads to greater happiness and more smiles.”
Regardless of the treatment option that best serves you, our staff wants to make sure that you’ll be proud of your teeth. We believe that showing off those attractive pearly whites makes you feel good from the inside-out!
For additional information about our services, check out our website. Dr. Stosich proudly serves the Round Lake, Grayslake, Skokie, Kenilworth and Wilmette areas.
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