Never mind pricey anti-ageing creams, a simple smile could have you looking several years younger in an instant, a new study has revealed.
German researchers from the Max Planck Institute in Berlin, found that smiley, happy people were more attractive and had a more youthful appearance than their solemn counterparts.
The study asked 150 men and women to guess the ages of the faces from over 1,000 photographs and found that while neutral facial expressions generated the most accurate age guesses, happy faces were voted as the youngest looking.
"Facial expression has a substantial impact on accuracy," says Manuel Voelkle from the study. "Those displaying happy expressions were most likely underestimated."
The reasons behind the findings, published in the Psychology and Aging journal, is apparently down to how many wrinkles or 'laughter lines' a person has, as it makes it harder to guess their age.
Researchers also discovered that older people were more likely to overestimate a person's age, whereas younger people were kinder and shaved a few years off. Female faces fared better and were judged as looking up to three years younger than men.
These findings follow a recent study from the London University College, which found that being happy and cheerful could reduce your risk of premature death by 35%.
Little can compare to the feeling of a deep, heartfelt laughing fit, so find out how being chirpy and full of laughter can enhance your health and well being (and even your love life)