Many of us are learning how to do business a little differently these days, but what hasn’t changed is how we form our first impressions of each other. Whatever the setting, we’re still sizing each other up in under a minute. This isn’t intentional, really, it’s just something humans do. It’s hard to convey who we are and what we’re capable of within seconds, so our initial assessments of each other tend to be based on psychological clues, which is just a fancy way of saying the nonverbal ways we communicate with each other. They include our posture, eye contact, gestures—even our smiles! Keep reading to find out how you can use these nonverbal ways of communicating to leave a lasting impression with your amazing smile!
In fact, your smile is one of the most important and influential tools you have when interacting with others, especially for the first time. When you’re confident about your smile, it can signal a number of positive qualities to people, such as kindness, intelligence, and trustworthiness. But if you don’t like your smile, it can be detrimental to you on a personal and professional level, particularly if you’re actively trying to hide it from others.
The good news is, the team at Texas Family Orthodontics has the skill, expertise, and technology to help you improve your oral health and straighten your teeth. But before we get into that, let’s talk a little bit about why smiling is so important in the first place.
Smiling is linked to better moods
When you’re uncomfortable with your smile, you get used to hiding it. This is unfortunate, though, since smiling can spread a small spark of joy to those around you with very little effort on your part! This can even lead to a domino effect of smiles that goes from person to person, brightening each one’s day in the process.
Smiling has also been known to get your “happy” chemicals flowing! Dopamine increases our feelings of happiness, and serotonin release is associated with reduced stress. Tiny molecules called neuropeptides also come into play, along with endorphins, which are natural pain relievers. It’s a bit like high-fiving your brain every time your smile.
Smiling can give your confidence a big boost
When you feel good about your smile, you have the freedom to truly be yourself and let your personality shine. Conversely, if you don’t like the way your smile looks or feels, it can be difficult to step outside your comfort zone and take any risks. This can hinder your ability to be heard in a meaningful way and sometimes, what you want to communicate may get lost before it ever reaches the intended audience.
When you choose orthodontic treatment with Texas Family Orthodontics, we’ll be able to choose the option that works best for you and your smile. This leads to exceptional results that enhance your natural smile! When you love the way your smile looks, you’ll be happier with your appearance, and more confident in yourself. This is something that others around you will definitely pick up on and reflect back.
Smiling puts those around you at ease
We talked it briefly above, but there’s a lot of emphasis placed on physical appearance when it comes to first impressions. Snap judgments aside, we can usually get a pretty good read on people within a couple of minutes. They’ll be checking our general vibe out as well, and a confident smile will go a long way toward indicating positivity and friendliness. This can really help put people at ease in almost any situation.
Smiling jump starts the halo effect
A century ago, researcher Edward Thorndike described a phenomenon he called the “halo effect.” This explained how our brains tend to attribute multiple positive qualities to a person based on us noticing just one positive quality. So what does that have to do with your smile?
Invisalign was interested in this question as well. They enlisted Kelton Global to help them answer it by conducting a perception study. The results showed that straight teeth are often perceived as an indicator of numerous positive qualities, including confidence, success, popularity, and wealth.
Their group also found that about two-thirds of Americans are more likely to remember attractive features than those that they find to be unpleasant. We all know better than to judge a book by its cover, but it happens every day anyway. You may as well take advantage of it by flashing them a smile they won’t forget!
Smiling can help you look younger and more refreshed
Even if the benefits we’ve listed above didn’t exist, it would be worth it for this one on its own! Studies have shown that the more you smile as an adult, the younger people will perceive you to be, while those who make a habit of frowning were often categorized as older than they actually were. A big smile is like a temporary facelift, in a way: when the corners of your mouth turn up that way, it raises your whole face, including the cheeks, jowls, and necks.
Smiling can make you look thinner, too. In a recent study done by psychology students, faces that looked sad were flashed on a computer screen. Participants judged them to be heavier than their real weight based on nothing more than a downturned mouth and unhappy expression. That means turning your frown upside down more often could help you look slimmer without counting a single calorie!
Get an unforgettable smile from Texas Family Orthodontics
Here at Texas Family Orthodontics, we have an expert team on hand to help you achieve a confident smile that will leave a lasting impression. Dr. Vo is passionate about creating beautiful smiles for patients of all ages in our community, and now it’s your turn!
If you’re ready to explore how orthodontics can transform your smile into something special, we’re here to help. There are no dental referrals necessary and we offer our consultations free of charge. This is the perfect time to take the first step in your orthodontic journey, so get in touch today to schedule an appointment with Dr. Vo and let’s get started!