Smiling has long been credited with brightening up people’s lives, but new US research claims that it can even help prolong them.
The new study has added weight to the belief that a happy disposition — shown in the face by wide grins and deep laughter lines — translates into longer life expectancy, the UK’s Daily Telegraph reported.
Researchers at Michigan’s Wayne State University came to their conclusions after studying 230 pictures of Major League Baseball players from the 1952 player register, which also came with vital statistics including age, weight, height and marital status.
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The researchers then ranked the players according to their smiles and laughter lines, on a scale from straight-faced glum to full grin with crinkled eyes.
They then compared their findings with the players’ actual lifespans.
From the 184 players who had died by June 1, 2009, those in the “no smile” camp lived to an average of 72.9 years. Those ranked as having a “partial smile” lived to 75, while those with the widest grins lived to a whopping 79.9 years, seven years longer than their dour faced peers.
The researchers also noticed that those who displayed false-looking smiles didn’t benefit from a longer life expectancy.
Related video ACA: We revisit one young boy who was unable to smile because of a lack of facial nerves. Today though after a successful surgery he may now have the perfect smile.
Australians have an average life expectancy of 80.62 years, which puts us ninth in a league table of countries behind Sweden, Hong Kong, Singapore, San Marino, Japan, Macau, Antigua and Andorra. People from the tiny southwest Europe principality of Andorra can expect to live to 83.52.
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