Can smiling make you happier? 6 benefits you need to know about
Clinically reviewed by Dr. Chris Mosunic, PhD, RD, MBA
Smiling can do more than brighten your face — it can brighten your mood, too. Learn about the benefits of smiling, plus 9 ways to make smiling a habit.
When you’re in your feelings and someone tells you to “smile,” it may make you want to scream. Sure, it’s easy to smile when everything’s going well, but when you’re in a bad mood, it can feel like the last thing you want to do, especially on command.
But if you can step out of your head for a beat, this very poorly timed advice may actually have some value. Smiling can have a positive effect on your mood. It can send a signal to your brain telling you that you’re okay, and in response, your brain may start serving up feel-good chemicals throughout your body.
If you’re wanting to be a little happier in your day-to-day life, smiling more—even if you have to fake it—might be just the thing you need. Let’s get into some easy tips that can help you reclaim little pockets of happiness in your day, one smile at a time.
Does smiling improve your mood?
It sure does! Science has shown that smiling can actually improve your mood. Because when you smile (even a little), your brain starts releasing the same feel-good chemicals involved in things like falling in love and finally finding your headphones before a Zoom call. These neurotransmitters can help reduce your stress, ease your pain, and boost your mood.
This doesn’t mean that smiling is a miracle cure for anxiety or depression, but it can be a gentle and low-effort nudge in a better direction. Also, smiling can help create a little extra space in your day, allowing you to breathe, reset, and feel more like yourself again.
Facial feedback theory
What's more, your brain doesn’t even need the smile to be “real” in order for you to feel better. You could be grinning at a plain white wall, and your brain could still be tricked into being happy.
This theory is called the facial feedback hypothesis, and it suggests that your facial expressions don’t just reflect how you feel; they actually shape your emotional state.
It posits that when you smile, even if you’re not happy, your brain interprets that movement as a cue that something positive is going on. In reaction to this, your body then starts releasing mood-boosting chemicals. Basically, your face is sneakily convincing your brain to relax.
Why not give it a try right now to see for yourself? (We’ll wait.)
6 emotional and social benefits of smiling
Smiling can have measurable benefits in your life, and it’s so simple to do. Here’s how something as tiny as a smile can powerfully shift your day:
1. It’s a built-in stress reducer: When your body smiles, it sends a message to your nervous system to chill. Basically, it activates your parasympathetic nervous system, which helps lower your heart rate and ease the tension in your shoulders.
2. It boosts your emotional resilience: Smiling during rough moments might feel counterintuitive, but it can actually help you bounce back faster. You might think that this would be denying your feelings, but it’s not. It’s helping your body have a moment to feel safe so that it can process all that's going on.
3. It makes you more approachable: Allowing yourself to smile helps signal to other people that you’re open and safe. Whether you’re at work, navigating a school drop-off, or just existing in the grocery store, your smile can help make people more likely to trust and engage with you.
4. It sparks connection: When you offer someone even a small, closed-mouth grin, their mirror neurons can light up, and they usually smile back. That moment of mirrored expression can help create a flash of mutual humanity, and feel more connected.
5. It strengthens your social and emotional toolkit: Over time, smiling can become a tool you can reach for, not to fake being okay, but to shift into a more grounded state. Plus, it can also help change how you show up for others.
6. It just feels… nice: Sometimes the best reason to smile is that it simply feels good. It can help soften your face, your mood, and your moment. On top of this, smiling can be a quiet and radical act of self-kindness.
How to make smiling a habit: 9 easy tips to get you grinning
Smiling more often sounds easy enough, but sometimes, maybe during a particularly rough day, it can feel like an Olympic feat. And that’s okay. You don’t need to smile through every moment.
But if you’re looking for ways to smile more naturally throughout your day-to-day life, here are nine tips to try.
1. Pair it with your everyday rituals
Smiling tends to become easier when you connect it to something you already do. You could think of it like habit piggybacking.
One way to incorporate smiling into your everyday rituals is to smile after your first sip of a morning beverage or as you apply lotion during your skincare routine.
2. Use visual cues as reminders
Put a sticky note on your bathroom mirror that says “smile (even if you don’t want to).” You could also set a reminder in your phone with a gentle prompt like, “Smile at something — like knowing that pizza exists.”
Sure, this might feel a little cheesy at first, but the point is to nudge your brain and face toward a softer moment.
💙 Listen to Smile with Jay Shetty to help get you in the mood to grin.
3. Scroll smarter: curate your “smile triggers”
Most of us are on our phones a fair amount, so you might as well make the doomscroll work for you. Consider following social media accounts that reliably make you smile or save a folder of favorite videos that make you grin every time you see them. Then open it when you’re in a mood.
(If you’re already maxed out on phone time, here are 12 ways to scroll less and live more.)
4. Tap into “micro-joy” moments
Look for tiny moments of delight throughout your day. Maybe it’s the way sunlight hits your kitchen tiles, or the sound of your pet snoring. Let yourself notice and respond with a smile, even if it’s fleeting or small. These little moments are the stuff that adds up.
💙 Invite more Joy into your life during this meditation with Tamara Levitt.
5. Practice in safe spaces
If smiling around other people feels awkward or forced to you, try starting when you’re alone. You could smile while brushing your teeth or while emptying the dishwasher.
This can help slowly train your brain to associate smiling with calm, comfort, and neutrality, instead of obligation.
Here are 50 words of encouragement you could also say to yourself when you’re alone to bring up a smile.
6. Reflect on what actually makes you smile
Ask yourself when was the last time you smiled without even thinking about it? What triggered it? Was it memory? A delicious smell? A person you love?
Once you know your personal “smile starters,” it can be easier to draw them to memory. Some smile starters could be a certain playlist you listen to while at the gym, or that one text thread with your best friend where you exclusively communicate in memes and emojis.
7. Experiment with smiling at strangers
Try offering a soft and genuine smile to people when you’re out and about. When you do this, especially in low-stakes moments like checking out at the grocery store, it can help spark a moment of connection.
Plus, when people smile back, it also helps give you a little hit of joy, too. It’s a win-win. (Here are 12 ways to help you re-find joy in your life.)
8. Shift your inner monologue
If your internal narrative is consistently telling you things like that you’re not enough or that you’re a failure, it’s most likely going to be hard to access joy.
To help shift your mindset, try swapping in just one self-kind thought per day. You could say, “I’m doing the best I can,” or “This moment will pass.” A gentler mindset can help naturally invite a softer expression.
9. Don’t force it when it’s not there
It’s important to note that you’re not failing if you’re not smiling all day. Some days are going to be hard, and your face simply won't want to participate. When that happens, don’t beat yourself up. This is totally fine.
Your goal is to offer your nervous system small and accessible cues of safety and warmth, and a smile can be one of them. When a little grin feels available, try it — but when it doesn’t, let it go and move on.
Benefits of smiling FAQs
Can you trick yourself into feeling better by smiling?
You actually can trick yourself into feeling better. Smiling can send a signal to your brain that something good could be happening, and your brain can then start pumping out feel-good chemicals in response.
If you’re having a rough moment, a smile can help soften the edges. You could think of it as an emotional power nap. It won’t solve everything, but it can help you face things with a bit more strength.
Will a “fake” smile still improve my mood?
A fake smile can help improve your mood. Research shows that the physical act of smiling can help to activate the same parts of the brain as a genuinely joyful one.
Many people think that fake smiling is inauthentic and won’t work, but it’s actually less about lying to yourself and more about inviting your body to feel a little better.
Can smiling reduce my stress or anxiety?
In small ways, smiling can help reduce your stress and anxiety. It helps activate your parasympathetic nervous system, which is basically the part of your body that tells you to relax. It signals to your brain that you’re safe, which can then help calm your heart rate, lower your cortisol, and ease your muscle tension.
This doesn’t mean that smiling will suddenly stop your anxiety completely, but it can gently help remind you that you’re not entirely at the mercy of your stress.
How can I smile more naturally?
A good way to smile more naturally is to let go of the pressure to smile all the time. As much as possible, try to let joy, humor, and connection actually land when they show up in your life. You can encourage this by slowing down and paying attention to things that already make you feel good.
Plus, you can practice smiling when you’re watching something funny or heartwarming. Over time, your face will then most likely remember how to respond without needing a prompt.
Are there long-term benefits to smiling every day?
People who smile more regularly tend to experience lower levels of stress, better relationships, and in some cases, longer lifespans.
Smiling may help your emotional regulation, increase your resilience, and contribute to better immune function. It’s one of those small things that doesn’t seem like a big deal in the moment, but when it becomes a regular part of your day, the ripple effects on your overall wellbeing can be surprisingly powerful.
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