Smile Big & Live Long!Jeffrey A. Forrest, Co-Founder of Prevention on Purpose

–Thích Nhất Hạnh

“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of

your joy.”

Is there any sort of benefit, health-wise, to

smiling?Yes! In fact, there are multiple studies which have uncovered how facial expressions influence, and sometimes even drive, emotions.

The Link Between Smile Intensity and Longevity

• “Smile Intensity Predicts Longevity” by Ernest L. Abel and Michael L. Kruger of Wayne State University

• Drew from previous studies which uncovered:

• How emotions influence thought, behavior, and intercommunication (which affect personalities and future outcomes

• How facial expressions can be utilized as a barometer of emotion

• That positive emotions derived from childhood and college photos are correlated with relationship stability and overall satisfaction

The Link Between Smile Intensity and Longevity

• Instead of using live subjects, Abel and Kruger used photographs of Major League Baseball players

• An ingenious idea, as there are dated statistics throughout their baseball careers detailing the players’ health (birth/death years, body mass index), overall physical skill (career length, fitness, performance) as well as martial status

• Using the information, researchers were able to uncover a correlation between smile intensity and a biological outcome—making it the first study of its kind

The more intense a smile was in a photo, the longer the player lived.

Those pictured with no smiles lived an average of

seven years less than those pictured with a Duchenne

smile.

A Duchenne smile?

Named after French physician Guillaume Duchenne, it is a genuine smile

It’s described as a facial expression involving both voluntary and involuntary contraction from two muscles: the orbicularis oculi and the zygomatic major.

• Even players’ smiles that were categorized as “less intense” than their Duchenne-faced peers lived an average of 2.1 years longer than those with more solemn and serious expressions

–Joseph Addison

“What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. These are but trifles, to be sure; but

scattered along life’s pathway, the good they do is inconceivable.”

For more information on preventative health and the benefits of smiling, visit…

http://jeffreyaforrest.org/

–Charles Chaplin

“You’ll find that life is still worthwhile, if you just smile.”