Most likely, the last thing you think about when you’re posing for your latest Facebook shot is the science behind your smile. But the truth is, there’s a lot more to a smile than meets the eye. Read on for 10 little-known facts that will have you beaming.

Fact No. 1: Smiling has body benefits.
Every time you frown, you’re unnecessarily exhausting 43 facial muscles, while smiling only uses 17 muscles. Some studies show that beaming can benefit your blood pressure levels. Add a laugh and you’ll also slim your middle — the movement exercises your abs, diaphragm, shoulders and heart. Scientists at Vanderbilt University found that laughing can stoke your calorie burn by up to 20 percent.

Fact No. 2: Grinning is human.
One thing that separates us from animals may be our ability to accessorize, but it’s also our capacity to smile. We don’t learn how to smile from our surroundings; rather, it’s a natural mechanism that’s hardwired in us from birth. Studies have shown that newborn babies crack their first grin as early as two hours after delivery.

Fact No. 3: Women are more likely to smile.
Fact: The average woman smiles approximately 62 times a day. In that same day, a man only flashes his pearly whites a mere eight times. Interestingly enough, a study at Yale University found that the difference declines when the two genders share the same occupation. Why? The researchers believe that it could be because every workplace has an unspoken “smiling standard” that’s followed by all employees.

Fact No. 4: There are different types of smiles.
Happiness isn’t the only thing we can express when we turn up the corners of our mouths. During his research at the University of California, San Francisco, scientist Paul Ekman discovered that people smile 19 different ways, depending on social situations and emotions, including fear, grief and hatred. All types fall under two larger categories: heartfelt and artificial. You can differentiate the two: Sincere smiles cause the corners of your eyes to scrunch up — insincere smiles don’t.

Fact No. 5: Beauty comes from a smile.
When asked to select more attractive counterparts, study participants at Scotland’s University of Aberdeen pointed to those people who were beaming. In another recent lab report, 69 percent of those asked said that women look younger and more attractive when they wear a smile rather than makeup.

Fact No. 6: Smiling leads to a longer life.
Research conducted at the University of Illinois has suggested that people who generally feel happy and smile more often have a longer life expectancy of nearly a decade. Another study looked at baseball cards. The Wayne State University scientists concluded that those athletes who were flashing their pearly whites in their pictures lived on average seven years longer than those who didn’t.

Fact No. 7: Healthy marriage from a happy smile.
People who grin consistently are more likely to have healthy marriages, say researchers at DePauw University in Indiana. Some say it’s because smilers can more easily express their emotions, and others think that people who smile often attract happier people, allowing them to form stronger, more positive connections.

Fact No. 8: Smiling releases endorphins.
Research shows that the simple act of turning your mouth up, whether authentic or not, can help release endorphins, feel-good hormones. Serotonin, a chemical that’s a natural stress-reducer, is also increased when you smile.

Fact No. 9: Fight a cold with a grin.
Cut down on those sick days by plastering a big, cheesy grin on your face. Every time you flash your teeth, your body produces greater quantities of antibodies and T-cells (or white blood cells), which may give your immune system a huge power boost.

Fact No. 10: Smiling is contagious.
During an experiment conducted in Sweden, participants reported that they found it very difficult to frown when they saw other participants who were smiling. Many began to turn their mouths up without even realizing it. Start smiling and the whole world will smile with you.

(This was taken from Bright Smile Beautiful You‘s website.)

I’m overweight and out of shape, and I do try and lose weight for the obvious health risks, however one thing I’m happy about is my body. It is far from beautiful or “hot”, but if it weren’t for my lack of looks, I wouldn’t be the person I am today.

When I was younger, I found that girls were generally bitchy towards each other, and that they were almost always fake towards me. I would try to fit in to the “groups” they had made, but found that I never really did. Instead I would hang out with the guys. This helped me build up strength and confidence somehow, because I learn’t not to care what other people thought about me, and I learnt to be happy with myself. As I changed schools, and moved on with my life, this confidence has given me the ability to be the person I am today. I fight for what I believe in, don’t take crap from anyone, and don’t let ANY of my friends feel bad about themselves or their bodies.

Even though I’m overweight, and trying to lose some of it, I know that there are many girls out there (and a few guys too) who are beautiful and average weight, who feel that they are heavy and want to lose weight. Although I can’t say I understand why you would feel that, I do understand that some people either feel the pressure to be thin, or somehow just flip a switch in their brain telling them they are not thin enough, or pretty enough.

For every person, their life and what makes their switch flip is different. That’s one of the reasons that problems like anorexia and bulimia are so hard to treat. There is no one single method that will work for every single person. The first step to recovery is realizing you have a problem, and from there, you can start to fix it.

I have a few friends who suffer from anorexia, and are slowly trying to recover. I tell them everyday that they are strong, amazing, and beautiful, and although this isn’t the reason they’ve started eating again, it’s something that encourages them to recover. Many people suffering from anorexia or bulimia don’t get support from anyone, making them feel even more insignificant, which leads them to eat even less. You can help. If you see anyone who isn’t eating, don’t tell them to eat, simply remind them of their strengths as a person. Their beauty, their charm, their personality, anything about them.

You’d be shocked by the results.

I have this AWFUL habit of sleeping in LATE everyday. I hate waking up early in the morning, especially for school. I usually set an alarm clock from an hour before I have to wake up, and snooze it every ten minutes. Sometimes I sleep through my alarm clock as well. This, obviously, isn’t good when I need to get ready for school. My mom is super awesome, and came to wake me up everyday for a few weeks. I asked her why she did it a month ago, and she said it’s because I always smiled at her when she walked into the room.

The thing is, I would be half awake from my alarms, and when I heard her footsteps approaching my room I’d sit up, pretending to be awake, and smile at her. Huge smile, eyes shut (well, they’re shut anyway… I’m still half asleep), and barely able to sit up. She came and woke me up everyday for a few weeks just to see that

Hey everyone, and welcome to Just-Smile.org

It has finally opened! If you find any strange bugs, weird codes, or missing links, please tell me AS SOON AS POSSIBLE so I can fix them!

Just Smile, as you will find out by reading this page, was started to try and get people to smile more. I know, I know – smiling can’t really change the world, but by getting people to smile more, they can start to appreciate more, and eventually the world will become a better place Somehow. Anyway…

Submit your stories here so that others can read them! You can also submit pictures as well if they help your story! If you create an account on Just Smile, then you can get access to special priviledges and rights that non-members wont have!

Start sharing your stories, and eventually you’ll be able to start reading other people’s stories as well