Smile – The Connection Between Smiling and Your Face

A smile is the one thing that everyone notices about you. It is the universal sign of happiness and well being. Many people refer to a smile as the one thing that makes you “warm”, “serious” or “together”. It makes you more attractive to others and gives you a more confident outlook in life. While a beautiful smile can be built up over time through regular dental hygiene and correct dental practices, a smile cannot be brought back by a quick fix.

smile

The single most important thing that causes our smile to look less than perfect is when the zygomatic muscle at the bottom of our nose contracts in a premature position. This is known in dentistry as “cavity”. The more time this happens, the more prominent the “cavity” will become, causing your smile to come across as being less than perfectly symmetrical. Some smiles also have an involuntarily contraction of this major muscle in the side of our mouth, an action called a “Duchenne smile”.

Another reason that your smile may not come across as perfectly as you would like it, or even at all, is due to your non-flawless facial expression. Your facial expression is your biggest tool to selling your appearance to the world. When you smile you are telling the world that you are happy, healthy, energetic and well balanced. When you frown, you are telling the world that you are sad, depressed and possibly suffering from some kind of mental disorder. While an occasional frown is not a deal breaker, if you consistently frown or smile in a very obvious manner then you will subconsciously be sending the message across that you do not care how you look.

When you see someone that has nice, full, bright and healthy facial expression, you will automatically assume that they are smiling with confidence, content and without any concern for their surroundings. You are mirroring that type of smile and therefore, it will reflect on your face. Someone who smiles with both intensity and volume while having noticeable and visible “dimples” in their smile will convey that they are unhappy about something. People that smile with little to no lines in their smile have a much more relaxed facial expression and often convey a sense of humor. Someone who smiles without being concerned about the appearance of their smile will appear unaffected by other people and will be able to smile at anyone that they please without fear that their smile will make them look bad.

Studies on human psychology reveal many interesting facts about the way that we process information, whether we realize it or not. One of those facts is that smiling causes your body temperature to rise. This rise in temperature makes us feel happier and more energetic. It also promotes blood circulation and improves digestion. Studies also show that smiling causes your body to release serotonin, the feel good brain chemical. In a few minutes of smiling, you can feel the positive effects of serotonin throughout your entire body.

So what exactly is the connection between smile and dimples? When we smile, blood flows to our face area. The extra blood flow creates an opportunity for the collagen fibers to be produced more quickly which improves the tone of our skin. The more collagen and elastin your skin has, the more elastic it will be and the less likely you are to develop wrinkles or other signs of aging. If you take the time to smile on a regular basis, those connective tissues will continue to grow, your cheeks will become less lined and your smile will regain its youthful vitality. That smile may be a little sultry and a little bright, but it will definitely be worth the effort.

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