National Smile Day 2023: Date, History, Facts about Smiling

National Smile Day is observed annually on May 31. Please wear your best smile to this celebration. This day was created by dentists Dr. Tim Stirneman and Jim Wojdyla of Compassionate Dental Care in Lake in the Hills, Illinois to, you guessed it, “Share the power of a healthy smile with the world!” The best aspect is that this day marks the start of National Smile Month!

The background of National Smile Day

According to primatologist Signe Preuschoft, the history of the grin can be traced back to apes and monkeys. These animals bare their teeth in a smile-like manner to demonstrate dominance or deter predators. According to the theory, humans imitated this behaviour and, over time, the grin evolved to express amusement and pleasure. Research indicates that smiles were a method of attracting mates among early humans, in addition to conveying pleasure.

If you’ve ever pondered why older portraits depict so few smiles, it’s because sugar and a poor diet led to widespread tooth decay in that era. In addition, the aristocratic belief that smiling and laughing were impolite and indicative of a lack of self-control or good decorum was more prevalent. Among the few exceptions was Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa,” whose ambiguity contributes to its renown. As dentistry and an attitude of authenticity evolved, individuals began to smile with their teeth visible in portraits.

Studies of yearbook photographs indicate that the breadth of smiles has increased over time. In the early days of photography, when participants were required to hold poses for longer durations, their smiles progressively diminished. The prevalence of smiling in the recent past differs from country to country based on culture and tradition. Some localities with a high degree of individualism and a low population density had a greater proportion of individuals who smiled. A study found that the most important factor in why individuals smile is a country’s history of diverse immigration over time. Thus, grins are more prevalent in countries like Brazil and the United States, where people do not share common customs or languages. According to the study, this is because smiling is part of a universal language.

Guillaume Duchenne, a French neurologist who investigated the mechanism of facial expression, identified two types of smiles: a Duchenne smile and a non-Duchenne smile. The former is an eye-smile or a genuine smile, whereas the latter is ambiguous, insincere, or merely courteous.

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5 FUN FACTS ABOUT SMILING

There are more muscles required to frown than to grin.

Babies beam approximately 400 times per day, while adults smile on average 20 times per day.

Babies as young as nine or ten months old have learned to offer fake smiles to strangers, reserving their genuine smiles and laughter for people with whom they are familiar.

Our brains have evolved to the point where we can detect a fake smile from a mile away; furthermore, our brains instinctively mimic the smile we see, which means we reciprocate with a fake smile.

Eighty to ninety percent of all laughter is in response to simple statements such as “It was nice meeting you” and “I’ll see you later.”

NATIONAL SMILE DAY DATES

Year	Date	Day
2023	May 31	Wednesday
2024	May 31	Friday
2025	May 31	Saturday
2026	May 31	Sunday
2027	May 31	Monday