New research shows that a genuine smile can actually change a negative attitude toward a person’s character, giving a whole new meaning to the idiom “Kill them with kindness”. While the study focuses mainly on celebrities, its findings suggest that a person could potentially quell unpleasant feelings among adversaries with the help of a genuine smile. The study, conducted by the University of Newcastle and Monash University, showed that a genuine smile by a celebrity endorser not only improved a product’s likeability, but also improved negative attitudes toward a celebrity whose favor had fallen in the eyes of the public.
What Defines a Genuine Smile
In the study, photos of Ricky Martin with a genuine smile and a fake smile were shown to participants. Reactions and attitudes were positive in response to Martin’s genuine smile as opposed to his fake one. A genuine smile, called a Duchenne smile, is marked by a few standard characteristics such as raised cheeks and lifted corners of the mouth, crinkles around the eyes, and a lowered eyelid. In other words, the smile isn’t too forced or stiff, but relaxed and natural. A smile is an important human expression and can increase perceptions of good character and likability.
However, if you’re unhappy with your smile or self-conscious of it, your smile may not always be genuine. If you dislike aspects of your smile like tooth discolouration or chips, cracks and crookedness, it’s more likely that you’ll attempt to hide them behind closed lips. You may even smile at a lesser degree, and prevent the corners of your mouth and cheeks from lifting, which indicate a genuine smile.
Harness the Power of Your Genuine Smile with Cosmetic Dentistry
Because health and aesthetics complement one another, it’s important that your smile is not only physically healthy but also gives you peace of mind.
Crooked teeth and short teeth especially can have a high impact on the degree of your smile because they both can affect the overall structure and alignment of your smile. Structure and alignment affect your ability to achieve those full-mouthed, attractive, genuine smiles that reach the eyes. Fortunately, there are many options for achieving a genuine smile with the help of cosmetic dentistry. With clear braces you can correct crooked teeth and alignment in as little as six months. Short teeth can be improved with gum recontouring using a soft-tissue laser or even porcelain veneers, which can add much-needed length to teeth.
If you’re uncomfortable with aspects of your smile, don’t let these insecurities stop you from leveraging the full benefits of a genuine smile. Our cosmetic dentists help patients from Baulkham Hills and Sydney achieve an attractive, genuine smile. If you live in the Sydney area and want to talk to us about your options for cosmetic dentistry, please call (02) 9686 7375 for an appointment at our office in Baulkham Hills, NSW.
