b"Chapter 10 Manythingscanberesolvedwithasmile.Youcanbreakdownbarriers, automaticallyputsomeoneatease,expressyourcheerfulmood,convey confidence, and thousands of other actions, feelings, and emotions.Not only can a smile improve your mood and that of those around you, but it also increases your likability and has tremendous health benefits.Many see smiling simply as an involuntary response to things that bring you joy or make you laugh.While this is certainly true, it overlooks an important point: smiling can be a conscious and intentional choice.Whether your smile is genuine or not, it can affect your body and mind in a variety of positive ways, providing benefits for your health, your mood, and even the mood of those around you.1.Smilinghelpsyoulivelonger:perhapsthemostcompellingreasonto smile is that it can lengthen your overall lifespan. Overall, happy people seem to enjoy better health and longevity.Maintaining a happy and positive mood can be an important part of a healthy lifestyle.2.Smiling reduces stress: stress can permeate our entire being and it can really show on our faces. Smiling not only helps prevent us from looking tired, exhausted, and overwhelmed, not only it can actually help reduce stress.Believeitornot,smilingcanreducestressevenifyoudon'tfeellike smiling or even if you fake it with an insincere smile. When you're stressed, take time to smile. You and those around you will reap the benefits.3.A smile lifts the mood: next time you're feeling down, try smiling. Chances are your mood will improve. The physical act of smiling actually activates pathways in your brain that influence your emotional state, which means that by adopting a happy facial expression, you cantriggeryour mind into a state of happiness. This is true whether your smile is real or not. Think of smiling as a natural antidepressant.328Germain Decelles"