Smiles are contagious! Not only do you look and feel good when you smile, others who see you smile, find it hard not to smile themselves! Research has shown that smismiling-kidsling stimulates our brain reward mechanism in much the same way as chocolate does. (And it has no calories!) There are documented therapeutic effects of smiling including reducing stress hormones levels (like cortisol, adrenaline and dopamine) and increasing health and mood enhancing hormone levels like endorphins and lowering blood pressure. Being around kids makes you smile. Why is that? Kids smile on average of 400 X a day! Happy adults average 40-50 times a day! So – put on your smile and make the world a happy place!

-Missy Nicholson RNCPNP