Why does smiling increase life expectancy?

Nov 26, 2025 5 min

About this episode

An often cited estimate suggests that children smile an average of 400 times per day, while when we reach adulthood that figure drops to just 50 times, even for the happiest of us. For most adults, it’s more like 20 times. Now of course most of the time we smile involuntarily in response to something bringing us joy or making us laugh. But it’s also possible to smile intentionally, which can actually bring on a whole host of health and wellness benefits. What are the health benefits of smiling? Why do some people tend to smile more than others then? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! To listen to the last episodes, you can click here: ⁠Why is sugar bad for our memory?⁠ ⁠Does the law of attraction really work?⁠ ⁠How can I stay trendy buying only second hand clothes?⁠ A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance. First broadcast: 19/3/2023 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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