It is a long held belief that smiling increasing the rates at which we form nasolabial folds – the big parentheses of skin that arc downward from the sides of your nose to the corners of your mouth, explains Dr. Marc Glashofer, a New York-based dermatologist.

These folds appear every time you smile. And as you grow older, those happy-face grooves don’t fade away once you stop beaming, Glashofer says.

But new research has shown contrary to popular belief, smiling and laughing actually reduces wrinkles.

The study, conducted over twenty years, found those that smiled over ten to fifteen times a day aged better than those that smiled less.

According to Glashofer, smiling’s role in reducing stress, and the health benefits that come with that, will greatly reduce not only the formation of wrinkles, but the psychological impact of physical ageing as well.

Singer Pharrel Williams also swears by smiling as a method of anti-ageing. After his appearance in the music video for Happy (2013) many questioned how the singer could still look as young at age 45. In an interview in Rolling Stone he said

It might seem crazy what I’m about to say. But the happier you are the younger you look, and the younger you feel as well. You can get as many creams as you like, but none of them will do you as much good as a smile.

— NFN's Oliver Frost contributed to this report.