Yes, smiling does lift the cheeks. The act of smiling engages specific facial muscles, including those in the cheek area. These muscles, when contracted, create an upward pull, resulting in a visible lift of the cheeks.
How Smiling Lifts Cheeks
Numerous sources corroborate this effect. The contraction of the muscles around the lips, mouth, and cheeks during a smile prevents premature sagging. This is highlighted in articles such as "Want to Slow Down Aging? Smile More" and "Smiling = A Facelift Without Surgery," which emphasize the muscle training aspect of smiling. Furthermore, articles like "Facial Exercises Fight Appearance of Aging" and "Facial exercises help middle-aged women appear more youthful" explicitly mention smiling as a facial exercise to lift cheek muscles. The New York Times article, "Exercising…Your Face," even includes a specific exercise using a smile to lift sagging cheeks.
Several resources detail techniques involving controlled smiling and finger placement to enhance this lifting effect, suggesting a mindful approach can optimize the cheek-lifting action. This includes articles from Northwestern University and even research articles like "Enhancing Facial Aesthetics with Muscle Retraining Exercises."
The lifting effect of smiling isn't just about aesthetics. Scientific studies such as "Posing smiles can brighten our mood" show the bidirectional link between facial expressions and mood. Posing a smile, including the cheek lift, can positively impact your emotional state.
In summary, the simple act of smiling actively engages the muscles that lift the cheeks, providing a natural and readily accessible way to achieve a subtle lift.
