Smile! It’s Good for Your Health

Social health

What is it? And why is it important? It is good for our health to interact with other human beings. Peaceful alone time can also be healthy, as I mentioned in “Daily Mental Health Habit”. It is important to find a healthy balance. Social health is creating and maintaining positive interactions and relationships with other people. Social health is important because interactions with other people provide irreplaceable benefits for our overall health. A simple interaction with another person can leave us smiling. Talking to someone provides an opportunity to express thoughts or feelings we may be experiencing. And, it’s an equal opportunity to learn about others.

A smile can convert a positive social interaction into physical health benefits. A smile requires the use of many facial muscles. Activation of these muscles stimulates the release of beneficial neurotransmitters inside your brain. These neurotransmitters include endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin. Endorphins make you feel happy and help reduce stress. Serotonin helps regulate mood, digestion, sleep, and memory. Dopamine helps you experience feelings of motivation and satisfaction. Positive social interactions with others can put a smile on your face and provide a number of health benefits.

Social interactions also provide opportunities to express ourselves. Sharing thoughts, feelings, and experiences with others helps us maintain good mental health. It is important to share potentially stressful thoughts, feelings, and experiences with others. When kept to ourselves, these can become mental stressors. It is equally important to share positive thoughts, feelings, and experiences with others to reinforce them. This has a positive affect on the overall health of both parties.

Social interactions are a two-way street

It is equally important to listen to other people’s thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Helping someone is a rewarding experience that contributes to long term happiness for both people. Sometimes just listening to someone can provide all the help they need. Ask other people to share their positive thoughts, feelings, and experiences. This allows them to relive the positivity and reap the benefits all over again. This also allows you to share their positive experiences and the benefits from them.

Spend more time with people that make you smile. Share things with others, and allow them to share with you. Try to incorporate these things into your life, they will go a long way towards creating and maintaining positives relationships. Good social health is important because it effects our mental and physical health. Right now you may be experiencing the post-Holidays feeling of social overload. However, don’t forget to maintain good social health habits throughout the rest of the year.

Written Dr. Joe Wallace, DC

Optimize Chiropractic specializes in family wellness care. We help every member of your family experience optimal physical, mental, and social performance throughout each stage of life. We help infants hit developmental milestones. We help children excel in the classroom and on the sports field. We provide care so people can continue to participate in the activities they love throughout their lifetime. Optimize Chiropractic will be opening its doors in Cornelius in January 2020.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *