Your smile affects your life more than you think.

Do you want to increase your chances of success in your career and relationships? Do you want to live life to the fullest, experience joy every day, and lower your chances of developing health problems? Any expert cosmetic dentist understands the power behind the psychology of smiling. So how can this small yet common act of smiling change not only the course of your day but also possibly your entire life? 

1. Smiling can boost your mood.

It makes sense that a happier mood would be connected to smiling, but can just choosing to smile actually make you happier? It definitely can! Studies show that simply activating the muscle you use when you smile, the zygomaticus major, can help release neuropeptides, which help fight off stress hormones. 

2. Smiling can increase your attractiveness. 

Smiling has been proven to impact a person’s first impression about you. People who have a genuine and beautiful smile come across as friendly, approachable, kind, and physically attractive regardless of their other physical traits. What can this do for you in your personal life? This can help you meet more people, gain confidence, and even start a new romantic relationship. Why? Both women and men agree it’s the most attractive trait about a prospective partner. 

3. Smiling makes you more successful in your career. 

Straightening your shoulders, improving your posture, and putting a smile on your face can immediately boost your confidence. In fact, if you smile at work, you’re more likely to receive a job promotion or a raise. Smiling improves your ability to work and how your boss and coworkers relate to you, which can help you become more successful in every aspect of your career. Sometimes it’s actually the smallest things we need to tweak to climb that ladder of success. 

4. Babies are born with the ability to smile.

Contrary to what people used to say, smiling is a skill we are born with, not a learned behavior.   When a baby unexpectedly smiles, it releases dopamine in the mother’s brain. Since this release of dopamine is closely intertwined with the brain’s reward center, this helps a mother bond with her baby, as she looks forward to seeing them smile again. This cause-effect-reward cycle is what helps us enjoy caring for others and spreading kindness.

5. Smiling is good for your health. 

It’s long been said that laughter is the best medicine. But does science back this up? When you laugh, endorphins increase the chemicals in your brain that help you feel good. Laughter also draws people together, and community is an essential factor in your health. Laughing a lot decreases inflammation, reduces your risk of heart attack, and lowers stress. Laughing and smiling can also help you feel more optimistic, and optimism is linked to lowered chances from early death caused by cancer and infection, as well as increased longevity. What does that mean? Simply put, people who are happier, less lonely, and smile more tend to live longer lives.

6. There are lots of types of smiles. 

Not all smiles are smiles of happiness. Smiles can convey embarrassment, deception, and even social hierarchy. Professionals agree that there are up to 15 different types of smiles. Though choosing to smile has many health benefits, continually forcing what scientists call a “polite smile” when you’re not feeling it may not be the best way to go. This study linked forced smiling all day with higher rates of drinking after work. The Duchenne smile, or the smile people smile when they’re genuinely happy, reaches a person’s eyes. No wonder it’s said that the eyes are the windows to the soul.

7. Smiling is more contagious than the flu! Pass a smile along and change another person’s day.

When someone passes a smile along to you, suddenly it doesn’t really matter what kind of day you were having, what you were doing, or how well you know the person. You’ll find yourself smiling back! There’s science to back this up. One study showed that when people were smiled at, they were very likely to smile back. So pass your smile along to others and let it create a ripple effect. 

Luminous Smiles can help you design the smile you deserve.

Are you wanting to perfect your smile and increase your self-confidence? Reach out to Luminous Smiles and schedule an evaluation with Dr. Desai. A smile makeover can help you fall in love with your smile, which will in turn cause you to smile more. And what harm can that do?