When we feel really well, smiles come on their own, as something natural, an external sign of joy, happiness, appreciation, fun, enthusiasm or pleasure. It is not normal to smile when you are sad or worried. But it turns out that smiling may be the best thing you can do when you're ready to shift into a happier, more positive mood. If laughter is therapeutic, smiling is no less so. Smiling is healthy even when there are no reasons to do so and making the effort to recover pleasant memories that make you smile is the best way to chase away anger, tension or aggressiveness.

Thinking about the health benefits, smiling is more than just making a muscle movement to place a specific expression on your face. This simple gestural movement triggers a series of mechanisms in the body that have a positive impact on health:

Reduces stress : smiling, and to a greater extent laughter, allows you to control the high secretion of cortisol and adrenaline that induces stress, among many others. Smiling has a relaxing effect in stressful, unexpected or painful situations, which not only helps you cope better with those moments, but also transmits peace of mind to others. The main organs of the body are energized : the hormonal discharge generated by laughter stimulates the brain, heart and lungs. Improves the immune response : tension, anger, sadness or stress generate an excess of hormones that can limit the immune system's ability to react, paving the way for the possibility of infection or other diseases. Smiling, however, enhances the activity of NK cells, which modulate immune system function. Helps calm pain : laughter releases endorphins and these help to modulate pain and have better tolerance to it. Helps control cardiovascular health : laugh, smile, reduce blood pressure and activate blood circulation, increasing blood oxygenation. Moderates blood glucose levels : studies have been done in this regard. And it has been proven that even a diabetic after a meal, if he laughs, his blood glucose level (postprandial glucose) does not increase and his blood pressure is also reduced. Laughter is physical exercise : 15 minutes of exercise cycling produces the same energy expenditure as 100 episodes of laughter. And, furthermore, laughing decongests the airways. Smiling puts aside negative emotions : fear, aggression, anger are emotions that are combated with laughter. With this, situations of tension and painful emotions calm down and give way to calm. Improves confidence and social skills : A person who wears a smile communicates and relates better, probably because smiling gives him or her the self-confidence to interact with others. Likewise, people feel comfortable around those who smile. The body and mind are connected so tell the body where you want to be and the mind will do the rest. Try it! Smile, smile and do it until your whole body, your mind and your energy do the same. Cristina Oroz Bajo