Smiling is the most effective way to make a person feel at ease, but not every smiling person can be trustworthy. A beautiful smile takes practice and brings a lot of pleasure to yourself and others.
Among the wisdom of different nations you can often find statements that you can almost conquer the whole world with a smile. Even if this is not true, hardly anyone can argue with the fact that a sincerely smiling person has a huge advantage in any communication.
When a person smiles sincerely – it is immediately visible. Usually, looking at a sincerely smiling person will make you want to smile back. Such communication makes it clear that you and your interlocutor feel safe with each other. Therefore, a bright sincere smile is an essential element of flirting, advertising and even international diplomacy.
However, a smile may not be sincere at all, but malicious and cynical. Often we have to smile “through force”, and it is always read by others. To smile genuinely, you need to know how a genuine smile works.
Use muscle memory
The art of a genuine smile comes down to muscle memory. The next time you laugh or look at a loved one, notice what that smile looks like.
Even in ancient times, people noticed that a positive attitude prolongs a person’s life.
Visually, the most sincere smiles have several features in common:
- Hound’s-foot wrinkles near the eyes (Duchenne smile);
- Raised cheekbones;
- The corners of the mouth curve upward;
- Smile lines around the nose and mouth.
Physically, you can feel the muscles in your face shift as you smile naturally:
- Your eyes are slightly squinted;
- Cheek muscles slightly engaged (but not too tight);
- Lips stretched;
- Partially open teeth and gums;
- A relaxed jaw.
Look in the mirror or take a picture whenever you think you are smiling your most genuine smile. Notice how certain muscle groups look and feel when you feel the happiest. Later, analyze this photo to see if you recognize any of the above characteristics.
Practice
Don’t deny yourself the pleasure of smiling and show your loved ones more often how well you feel about them. You can awaken warm feelings in yourself by saying warm words to your loved one. After that, even if you initially had no desire to smile, a smile will appear by itself. Compliments, respect and empathy make people smile involuntarily when they look at you. In this way, you will become observant and learn to determine the beauty of your own smile by comparing it with those you have seen among your acquaintances.
Smiling for no reason may seem silly and unnatural at first, but if you don’t give up at first, you will quickly get the hang of it.
Think about the things that make you happy
There is nothing wrong with smiling for no reason. If you are in a good mood, you should not keep it to yourself. On the contrary, you should pay as much attention as possible to those things in your life that bring you joy and enjoy your favorite work, hobbies, communication with friends and relationship with your partner. Try not to dwell on bad things and steadfastly overcome all the difficulties on your life path. Courage breeds self-confidence, which, in turn, makes you smile.
Adjust your posture
To achieve an effective smile, you need to look straight ahead, straighten your back and slightly lift your chest. This will instinctively set you up for positive emotions and let your interlocutor know that you are confident and have nothing to hide. Body language is the most important way of non-verbal communication, you should not neglect it. Even when you don’t want to smile, you should keep a straight posture and if possible avoid “closed” postures that tell those around you that you are unsure or afraid of something.
Practice in front of a mirror
As silly as it may seem, practicing smiling in front of the mirror can help you develop muscle memory for different types of smiles. To practice smiling in front of the mirror, try not to think about the fact that you might look somehow wrong or silly. Instead, focus on the actual musculature of your face:
- Turn to face a mirror in a private place;
- Start with a neutral facial expression and take a deep breath;
- Turn away from the mirror and think about what makes you happy;
- Turn your back to the mirror and study the reflection of your face;
- What do your eyes look like? What do your cheeks look and feel like? What does your forehead look like?
Turn away again to try to evoke a different type of smile (for example, think of an awkward situation) and notice the differences in your facial expression.Practice several times with different thoughts and memories.
Focus on feeling your most genuine smile by closing your eyes and mentally scanning each area of your face.
Learn by watching people
Take note of the way your friends, relatives, and coworkers smile at you. It is especially important to notice when they do not do it sincerely. In such moments, people smile solely with their mouths, their eyes remain indifferent and their eyebrows unmoving. When you smile genuinely, the whole face and sometimes the whole body of the person you are talking to is involved in the process. Take note of these moments and remember them when you are not really smiling yourself.
Observing people will make you more empathic and practicing smiling on a regular basis will make you more cheerful.
Follow good oral hygiene habits
Banal advice, but some people neglect it, thus reducing all attempts to make a beautiful smile to nothing. If you have bits of food stuck between your teeth, and your breath smells bad – hardly anyone will be charmed by your smile, no matter how sincere it is. So don’t forget to brush your teeth every day and check with your dentist from time to time to keep your mouth clean and healthy.
Exercise your facial muscles
Strengthening and toning your mouth and cheek muscles will help your smile look more natural. Start with a neutral facial expression, then show a slight smile (without showing teeth) and hold it for 10 seconds. Show some teeth and hold the smile for another 10 seconds, then show more teeth again for 10 seconds, then do your biggest “toothy” smile for the last 10 seconds. After that, return to the starting position. Do this exercise up to five times a day.
Smile by raising your eyebrows and cheeks
Make your fake smile more realistic by focusing on the upper part of your mouth. While you can’t voluntarily tense the upper cheek and eye muscles that create a genuine smile, you can create a working replica of it with practice exercises. Intentionally focus on raising your cheeks and eyebrows slightly at the moment you are being photographed, for example.
