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How to Win Friends and Influence People… With Your Smile!

Did you know that your smile can literally affect the people around you? Studies have shown that it is physically contagious, and when you smile your best at someone, they usually can’t help but smile back. It’s an automatic response that happens in our brains, and it takes real effort to ignore it.

Just to test this out, a study was carried out in which the subjects were shown pictures of people displaying several different emotions – everything from joy and happiness to fear and anxiety. Whenever they saw a picture of someone that was smiling, the subject was asked to start frowning.

What they found was that, instead, their facial expressions would naturally try to imitate the pictures of the smiling faces in front of them. In order to stop smiling and start frowning, they had to make a conscious effort.

Simply put, when you smile at someone, their brain going to tell them to smile right back.

Meeting Someone with a Smile

A smile tells someone that you are feeling happy and that you are friendly and actually want to communicate. It can show that we’re interested in what they say, that we’re calm and collected, and that we’re listening to the things that are being said.

At the same time, though, we have a natural instinct for when a smile is real and when it isn’t. Because while we can scientifically say that smiling requires certain specific muscles and can release serotonin in the brain, a lot of a smile is in the eyes. If the smile isn’t there, it seems fake, and it makes others feel anxious or suspicious about it.

Feeling Good About Your Smile

Unfortunately, some people don’t feel like their smile is worth showing off. Either they have crooked teeth, missing teeth, or some very dull teeth. It makes it hard to smile when you feel like someone is going to just stare at your teeth rather than return your smile.

Cosmetic dentistry offers a lot of simple options to restore your smile and give you a reason to greet everyone with a smile.

Options for Cosmetic Dentistry

A lot of the common problems that keep people from smiling can actually be corrected with a few simple procedures.

  • Crowns – When you’ve lost a large portion of your tooth, we can use these crowns to replace it while still keeping as much of your natural tooth as possible.
  • Implants – This is the most common way to replace a missing tooth, and it’s especially important when you’re missing one up front.
  • Teeth Whitening – This is a simple procedure that can brighten your smile by up to ten shades in a single visit.

Brighten Your Day and Spread the Joy

A simple smile releases neuropeptides in your brain that will fight off stress as well dopamine and endorphins that can even act as a painkiller. Smiling is literally an anti-depressant that can be contagious to those around you.

Don’t be afraid to show of your smile. It’s a great way to start feeling better and help others feel the same.