Do you ever find yourself avoiding smiling or showing your teeth due to crooked teeth or an uneven smile? One of the lasting impressions you make when interacting with people is your appearance, and one of the key features of your appearance is your smile. It’s believed by 96% of adults that having an attractive smile makes you more appealing to the opposite sex. The belief is mirrored by the opposite scenario, where adults often fear having a bad smile makes them less attractive to friends and potential lovers.

A bad smile can distract from other great characteristics or personalities one may have. Overlapping teeth also appear darker than others under some lighting. A good smile can lead to a better self-esteem and more confidence.

How Smiling Affects Body Language

Half of our communication is done via body language. Studies report that body language signals are responsible for anywhere from 50 to 90 percent of what we communicate, and most of these signals happen to originate from our faces. Communication and understanding is done not only via words, but also through facial expressions.
Regardless of where you travel, smiling is a universal act of body language that conveys warmth, companionship and openness. It speaks for itself; just like saying hi, people tend to return smiles when you smile at them first. Like yawning, smiling is contagious. One Swedish study reported that returning a smile could be an unconscious act, meaning people sometimes can’t help it.

Smiling for a Better Mood

Smiling doesn’t just bring joy to others, but it can also make ourselves feel better about our wellbeing. When you smile, your neural messaging system receives an activation signal ordering your brain to release positive feeling neurotransmitters including endorphins, dopamine and serotonin. Just like exercising releases endorphins and makes you feel happier, the act of smiling instant calms the body, reduces the heart rate and lowers blood pressure.

Now’s the Time to Change Your Smile

It’s common for people to make quick judgments about others based on their appearance. People can spot unhappiness that originates from a bad or awkward smile; personality and good characteristics should be the key feature, not a bad smile. The more you’re in a positive mood, the more the brain changes to experience happiness on a more common basis. This leads to real physical benefits, such as boosting the immune system, lowering stress and calming muscles, releases of endorphins, and more. Smiling also gives other people the perception that you’re confident and not afraid to show off your teeth to the world. It’s a win-win, you feel better while spreading happiness and warmth to others.

As you can see, both giving and receiving smiles contribute to your happiness. Feeling embarrassed or uncomfortable about your teeth can lead to a lower self-esteem and potentially hurting others’ opinions of you. Patients often discuss how their life changed for the better after visiting a Frisco Orthodontist at Orthodontist Select.

Change Your Smile with Orthodontics

The doctors at Orthodontist Select are specialists in the field of Orthodontics and can offer you high quality treatment for a lasting, beautiful smile.  We offer free, no obligation consultations with no referral required at any of our locations.

Price Family Orthodontics Frisco
Wise Orthodontics Frisco
RX Smile Frisco
Rendon Orthodontics Allen
Rendon Orthodontics Frisco
Stonebridge Orthodontics McKinney