Does your smile really matter? As someone who only got braces later in life and spent most of their teenage years being embarrassed by crooked teeth, I can tell you that it does. If you’re afraid to smile and you actively suppress this expression that shows your teeth, you are going to be thought of as less friendly, less attractive, and less intelligent. Studies like this one by Beall Research & Training show that we link the nature of the smile to that person’s personality, and that could mean a new smile makes you look more intelligent .
Take, for example, the Mona Lisa. Plenty has been inferred about Mona Lisa, based on her smile. The smile is a universal expression, one that transcends all cultures. It is something that all humans do and that all humans use to draw conclusions about the person they have met. We collect information about other people not just based on what makes them smile, but what their smile looks like. A white, straight smile conveys health and vitality, and that is why so many strive for this. A new smile can also make you look more intelligent. We automatically give more weight, give more positive characteristics, and assign more intelligence to someone who has a great smile than someone who does not.
The fact that a new smile makes you look more intelligent is only one of the reasons that you should smile. Here are a few of the other ways having a confident smile makes your life better.
1. Smiling makes you happy.
While we all know that smiling can be a product of happiness, it can actually create happiness, too. The mind and the body are connected. Your mind connects the expression of smiling with happiness, so when you smile, even if you are not feeling happy, you will start feeling happy. Your body starts producing endorphins, which make you feel good. The first studies into this phenomenon were conducted in the 1980s, but there have been many more studies in recent years proving the same exact theory that smiling can actually make you happy, even if you are not feeling happy before you smile.
2. Smiling makes others happy.
When we see someone smiling, we automatically smile, too. This is a very human response. We want to mirror the people around us. When you have a confident smile, you are more likely to see the people around you smile, too. A new smile, one that you are happy to show off, will make it much more likely that you are going to see people smiling back at you. Studies have even proven that when you see someone smile, humans will subconsciously smile. It is a fast, easy way to make the people around you happy.
3. Smiling will help you get a job.
While this might not be the primary goal of getting a new smile, there is something to be said for how smiling can help you look more intelligent and increase your likelihood of getting your dream job. When you feel confident about your smile, this is one less thing you have to worry about when you are talking to your interviewer. And because smiling conveys positivity and intelligence, the interviewer will be subconsciously reinforced to believe that you are the best candidate for the job. Additionally, when you appear to be a happy, confident person, you are more likely to be seen as an asset to that company than someone who appears to be grumpy and morose, even if the two have the same qualifications and skills.
4. Smiling makes you more attractive.
No one wants to be around someone who is never happy. We already know that smiling makes people more attractive and that smiling is often a good way to signal that you think someone else is attractive. But because smiling actually conveys more about a personality than we previously believed, it is possible that a smile can do more than just say, ‘Hey, I like you.’ It also has the ability to convey information about your personality that can help you form a bond with other people. The smile is one of the most major ways that people learn about who we are, whether they gather clues from watching what makes us smile or they see how easy or difficult it is to make us smile. In short, smiling makes you more attractive not just because it is a signal of confidence and happiness, but also because it conveys much more about the personality.
5. Smiling makes you look younger.
While youth might not be directly connected to intelligence, most people still want to look younger, and smiling is a great way to do this. Because smiling is connected to positivity, laughter, and happiness, it is also connected to the idea of youth. Plus, most people’s faces simply look younger when they smile because it stretches the skin and gets rid of wrinkles.
6. Smiling makes you more successful.
When you smile, you are more likely to be approached with job opportunities, are more likely to get a raise, are more likely to find a partner. Being ready to smile at any time and being confident in that smile is a great way to ensure that you are as successful as you want to be, in all aspects of your life. When you smile, you portray the very best things about your personality your happiness, confidence, and intelligence so smile often and broadly!
