Scientists and spiritual teachers alike agree that the simple act of smiling can transform you and the world around you. It can make us appear more attractive to others. 【小题1】 So before you read on, slap a nice, genuine smile on that face of yours.

The act of smiling activates neural messaging that benefits your health and happiness. For starters, smiling activates the release of neuropeptides (神经肽) that work toward fighting off stress. The feel-good neurotransmitters (神经介质) are all released when a smile flashes across your face as well. 【小题2】

You’re actually better-looking when you smile. A study published in the journal Neuropsychologia reported that seeing an attractive, smiling face activates the region in your brain that processes sensory rewards. 【小题3】 It also explains the 2011 findings by researchers at the Face Research Laboratory. They found that both men and women were more attracted to images of people who made eye contact and smiled than those who did not.

Did you know that your smile is actually contagious (传染性的)? In a Swedish study, subjects were shown pictures of several emotions: joy, anger and surprise. When the picture of someone smiling was presented, the researchers asked the subjects to frown. Instead, they found that the facial expressions went directly to what subjects saw.【小题5】 If they don’t, they’re making a conscious effort not to.