'When you laugh, when you laugh, everyone laughs with you.' Yes, the old song is correct. Laughter is contagious! But that's just one of the amazing powers of a smile.

Several researchers have compiled a long list of the benefits of a smile. A new study from the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) now adds two more reasons to the list. Let's start with the latest news and list other popular smile powers. 

Two smiles for this study

UMKC researchers recently discovered:

1. Smiling can make you look younger.

Even if there are no other benefits to a smile, most people will appreciate it just for that. UMKC researchers challenged the popular theory that smiling can make others look younger than you are. Sure enough, in one small study, students looked younger than their age in happy smiling old men. People with wrinkled eyebrows were classified as adults.

2. Smiling can make you look thinner.

In a recent study of young psychology students at UMKC, a sad face that randomly flashed on a computer screen was rated as more important. This is a surprising conclusion. A frowning mouth seems to give someone the impression of bad luck. Anyway, here are the best sellers I feel. The smile diet.

3. A smile makes you feel good and gives you comfort.

Behavioral psychologist Sarah Stevenson wrote in this post, 'Every time you smile, your brain feels good.' Laughter triggers popular party animals like dopamine, endorphins, and serotonin. And a bonus: these endorphins act as natural pain relievers and act like opiates in the body.

4. Smiles give your brain more pleasure than chocolate.

I know you won't believe it. I don't think so either. But according to Ron Gutman, author of Laughter: The Surprising Power of the Simple Act, 'British researchers have found that one smile produces the same level of brain stimulation as 2,000 chocolate bars.' Where can I register for the next experiment? And what would happen to the person who ate 2000 chocolates? I want to interview him.

5. Just forcing a smile can make you feel better.

We generally believe that positive experiences make us laugh. While this is true, deciding to smile can be a positive experience. As the Buddhist writer Thich Nhat Hanh said, 'Sometimes your joy is the source of laughter, and sometimes your laughter is the source of joy.' People who have to put a pencil between their teeth and force a smile on their lips also feel better. Strange but true.

When you're in a bad mood, smiling can make you feel better. If I could make you smile. Remember that changing your behavior with a smile can change your inner feelings. In other words, if you have a 'happy face', you are truly happy.

6. A smile can predict marital happiness.

The study cited by Smile author Gutman measured college students' smiles and ultimately predicted how long a person's marriage would last and how satisfied they would be. The right side! Who wants to live to murmur?

7. A smile makes you seem polite, compassionate, and capable.

These first two traits seem logical, but does smiling make you look competent? Assumptions: If you look sad or anxious, others may wonder if they know what you're doing. That's why a simple smile can be the key to success in business.

8. The length of a person's smile can predict longevity.

A 2010 Wayne State University research project analyzed the baseball cards of major league players from the 1950s. According to Gutman, “Researchers have found that the length of an athlete's smile can predict an athlete's lifespan. The player not smiling in the photo lived an average of 72.9 years, and the player with a bright smile lived an average of 80 years.” Is a 7-year-old smile too much for you?

9. A smile is contagious.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this blog, a smile is contagious. Not just stars, you are the one who can light up a room when you walk into it smiling. If you like helping others and making everyone happy, just smile.