“It is easier to get what you want with a smile than with the point of the sword” said William Shakespeare, and he was right. The smile is more than a gesture, a movement or a grimace. It is a universal language and, for that reason alone, it is key in many scenarios, be it a job interview or a first date. So much so that, since 2015, the smile has its own world day, in which the right to sheath ourselves with joy through it and, with it, health is claimed.
Such is its importance and the benefits derived from ‘its use’, that there are several studies that prove to what extent it has become the most valued physical trait. One of the most recent is the one prepared by Impress, leaders throughout Europe in invisible orthodontics, which has collected impressions from more than 5,000 European patients. According to the sample collected in Spain, the smile is the physical trait that attracts the most attention and, consequently, it becomes the center of our concerns.
We only have one opportunity to make a good first impression and in that race the smile starts with an advantage, crowned as the attribute that we first look at when meeting or starting a conversation with a person. Specifically, according to the Impress survey, 53% pay more attention to the smile, while 23% pay attention to the eyes, both away from the hair, with 2%. Among those surveyed, a notable majority are satisfied with their smile, with just over 68% of people, far from the 34% who are not. The good news is that the smile is easily correctable. There are clinics like Impress that correct your smile quickly and safely with visible results in just three months.
Despite winning the game over the ‘look’, the ‘smile’ fails to catch up with the ‘weight’ when respondents are asked about the physical trait that, if they could, they would change. She does, yes, only for a slight difference. Specifically, 41% of the people asked would change their weight, while 40% would change their smile (improving the color or alignment of their teeth). Thirdly, we find the height and fourthly the hair (color or quantity).
Shy, nervous, defiant, mischievous, melancholic, false… According to the French neurologist Duchenne de Boulogne, there are 19 types of smiles, many of which we use daily without realizing it, serving as a vehicle for numerous expressions and emotions. But, among all of them, it was the ‘genuine’ smile that caught Duchenne, for which he explored the facial muscles, finding out, for example, that ‘the real one’ involves the contraction of the orbicularis oculi muscles around the eyes.
Known as “Duchenne muscles,” these muscles cannot be controlled voluntarily and are activated involuntarily only when a genuine emotion of happiness or joy is experienced. That uncontrollable laugh. Beyond the anecdotal nature of this discovery (in the 19th century), the truth is that having a pretty smile is, like any type of beauty, somewhat subjective, but there are some parameters frequently associated with a smile that is considered pretty.
The color of the teeth, for example, enhances the overall appearance of the smile, and the dental alignment, for its part, influences the symmetry and harmony of the smile. Something that the survey highlights when asking about the most valued elements of a smile. First of all, the line-up stands out above the rest, chosen by 85% of those surveyed by Impress. Secondly, the color, and thirdly, the state of the gums.
All these variables determine the relationship that people maintain with their smile, resulting -or not- in multiple benefits. The first of them, the improvement of the state of mind. Smiling releases endorphins, the happy hormones, which can help improve mood and reduce stress. In fact, there are studies like those by Kraft and Pressman that prove that even a forced smile can send signals to the brain to release endorphins and promote feelings of joy.
Smiling strengthens the immune system, relaxes our muscles, reducing the tension accumulated in the jaw, neck and shoulders. Of course, it improves social relationships because it increases trust and boosts connections with others. Smiling facilitates communication, which can help us in social, work and personal situations, generating a positive impression and improving our self-esteem.
But beyond the physical, a beautiful smile impacts the overall appearance of a person. A Scottish proverb says it: “a smile costs less than electricity and gives more lightâ€. The truth is that, when smiling, the face lights up and the features harmonize, making his appearance more pleasant. A smile is also contagious. When we smile at someone, we increase the chances that the person we interact with will smile too, creating a positive effect on the environment.
