How to fight stress with a smile

According to Dr. Sarah Pressman, researcher at the University of California, Irvine, supported by the AXA Research Fund, smiling can reduce stress, and thus boost our immune system and cardiovascular health.

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Sarah Pressman is an Associate Professor of Psychology and Social Behavior at the University of California, Irvine. She conducted a study to determine whether or not people who smile more behaved differently.

And the results are surprising: not only do smilers have a more proactive behavior towards healthcare -they are more likely to seek preventive healthcare-, but all smilers (even fake ones!) will produce more cortisol or catecholamines, anti-stress hormones that have real benefits on the immune system function, cardiovascular system, and can increase the pain threshold.