I’m a smiley person by nature. I’m also a very giggly, excitable person — natural byproducts of the smile. So much so that I tend to annoy even myself from time to time. Yet I’m pretty sure, especially after learning about the benefits of smiling at a recent event held by Nivea, that it is because of this specific trait that people mistake me for being nearly a decade younger than I actually am.

Now that I’m almost 32 years old, I feel very good about this.

Research conducted by Nivea Q10plus verifies my personal experience. The study revolved around 12 female portraits showing three distinct emotions — happy, neutral and sad. When 2000 people were asked to guess the age of each woman, emotion had a resounding effect.

Louisa Jewell, President of the Canadian Positive Psychology Association explains, “In general, we receive smiling faces as more attractive and we therefore tend to judge them as younger than they actually are. People with smiling faces also appear more sincere, sociable, likeable and competent.”

In addition to looking younger, smiling has the benefit of making people feel younger as well. Happier people tend to live longer, have better cardiovascular health and achieve greater success. Not to mention that smiling helps others. It’s contagious, after all.

What I loved about the Nivea Q10plus presentation was the fact that the brand was promoting an achievable way to feel younger. Although addressing your emotions might not be the quick fix plastic surgery is, it is much better in the long run for obvious reasons. Not to mention that laugh lines relay much more than age.

Of course, wrinkles are a sensitive subject even at the happiest of times. That’s where Nivea Q10plus comes into play. In just four weeks, it helps to reduce them in as natural way possible. Q10 is an energy coenzyme that decreases significantly as we age. This cream is chock-full of it.