Conventional wisdom claims that it takes less energy to smile than it does to frown, with the reason being that smiling uses fewer muscles. But smiling is more than just a lazy alternative to frowning, it’s also the most affordable beauty hack. Smiling is one of the easiest ways to improve your facial appearance and overall attractiveness. Keep reading to find out how endorphins, cortisol, and oxytocin are connected to the attractiveness of p and what fMRI findings revealed on the subject. 

Smiling Releases Endorphins

When you smile at someone, it often makes them smile back, which releases endorphins that make them feel happier and more positive towards you. Think about a time when someone smiled at you. Whether you shared a smile with a stranger passing by or with a loved one sitting near, the act of smiling brought you together and, for a moment, you were happier. If a smile can work its magic to make you feel more positive towards someone else, the reverse is also true: smiling at people makes them like you more.

Smiling Decreases Stress 

Happiness and stress are two things that simply don’t go together. When happiness increases, cortisol, which is the main stress hormone, decreases. Spikes in cortisol are linked to less healthy skin because stress slows down healing. Therefore, skin conditions like pimples take longer to clear up and may be more severe when stress levels are elevated (1). Smiling more often and being happier reduces cortisol levels and consequently its effects on skin. 

Smiling Increases Oxytocin

A study in the Dermatology Times examined the connection between skin health and levels of oxytocin, one of the happiness hormones. The researchers found that higher levels of oxytocin were linked to lower skin-age scores, meaning that people with more oxytocin had healthier skin than people with less oxytocin (2). Additionally, oxytocin may be effective for reducing photoaging (2). These findings suggest that being happy literally affects skin quality. Smiling and receiving a smile in return releases oxytocin which can help your skin. 

Brain Excitability

An fMRI study observing brain function found that the part of the brain activated by attractive faces was more active when viewing faces that were smiling (3, 4). One interpretation of this finding is that seeing a smile on someone’s face means they’re more open and receptive to you, which your brain perceives as positive. No matter why our brains work like this, smiles are something we find attractive. 

The Bottom Line

Smiling and being smiled at makes your brain happy, and when your brain is happy, your hormones can work their magic on your skin. One of the best things about smiles is that they are contagious – so you can be the first one to smile at someone, and you will both benefit from an increase in happiness hormones and attractiveness.