Normally we talk about health issues specific to women here, but we just read a study that crosses gender lines, one that we think is worth sharing. It’s about a way you can reduce your stress level and help your heart, and all you have to do is smile.
The study, completed by researchers at the University of Kansas, has discovered evidence that smiling during times of stress can actually improve your psychological well-being. That, in turn, lowers your heart rate and keeps you healthier in the long term.
Stress is an unavoidable part of life, and one which can have long-term effects many don’t even realize. The organ that suffers the most from life’s stresses is the heart – the engine that keeps everything pumping.
For women in particular, heart health is a growing field of study. Only in the last couple of decades has it become apparent that women suffer the same cardiac risks as men, and more intense risks in some cases. Medications and healthy eating habits can help, but you can never be too safe when it comes to heart health.
For this particular study, researchers measured the effect of stress on the heart rates of participants who were smiling and those who were not. They did this by having participants complete multitasking exercises and other stressful activities – such as having their hands dipped in freezing water – while smiling and while not smiling. The results: participants who smiled during the stressful times were able to bring their heart rates back to normal more quickly than those who did not.
In some cases the smiles were genuine, and in others they were not, but both types of smiles had a measurable effect on the heart rates of participants. In fact, some of the study’s participants had their faces held in a forced smile with chopsticks, and even this method proved beneficial in reducing the stress response.
The findings of this study could indicate something purely psychological, or there could be an underlying physiological aspect. That information is not yet clear. What is clear, however, is that smiling keeps the heart healthy.
You likely already know that taking a few slow, deep breaths can reduce your body’s reaction to stressful situations, but next time, take a moment to smile, as well. Stress in unavoidable, but if you take a positive approach, and back it up with smile, you can keep your heart healthier longer.
