It’s National Smile Week!

The second week in August is National Smile Week.  Who knew?  And who says so?  Is there someone in charge of smiles?  Good job if you can get it.  National Smile Week has nothing to do with Dental Health Month.  That’s in February.  You remember Dental Health Month when you were a kid.  The health teacher had a giant scary tooth and a huge toothbrush to teach you the importance of brushing, flossing, and visiting the dentist – still good advice today.  You also had to bring in posters with lots of gluing and coloring, illustrating good dental health.  You remember.  Do kids still do that or do they just hold up a Google image on their iPads?

But this is National Smile Week.  Coincidentally or not, Yahoo had an article last week about a study conducted by two psychologists that will soon be published in an upcoming issue of Psychological Science.  The psychologists found that students who smiled during stressful tasks were significantly less stressed than those students who did not smile.  Even forced smiles reduced stress.  So that old adage of “Grin and Bear It” appears to be true.  According to the authors, this means that even forcing a smile during an unpleasant task or experience might actually lower your stress level, even if you’re feeling like a grumpopotomus.

Smiling can also be contagious. Try it sometime.  As you go through your normal day, try giving everyone you see a smile.  In the grocery store, at the restaurant, in the corridors at work or at school, show off those pearly whites.  Invariably, people look a little shocked, but will smile right back.  So it makes their day less stressful, along with yours.  You can hope that they will “pay it forward” and smile at the next person they see.  A little smiling can make the world a little better place.  Not happy with your smile?  Give Smile Texas a call for a free consultation.  And Happy National Smile Week!