What’s the Truth about a Person’s Smile?

beautiful woman smiling

Smiling is one of the common—and potent—emotions of humans, yet few understand its dynamics and effects. To understand the power of a smile, read the following claims and know if they’re real.

1. A Good Smile Can Land You a Job

No official study shows that a friendly smile can win you a job, but most recruiters agree that it can affect your application process, especially during an interview.

According to Zip Recruiter, a smile can change the way you sound. Mainly, it makes your voice high-pitched. It seems humans associate this with safety than a low-pitched sound.

During a face-to-face interview, smiling can give the impression that you’re personable, confident, and approachable. These are basic treats businesses often look for in an employee.

Thus, before you head to your next interview, consider seeing an expert in cosmetic dentistry. It can help secure the job of your dreams.

2. Smiling Can Cause Wrinkles

The idea might come from the fact that people can develop smile or laugh lines on their faces. They become even more noticeable when someone flashes their sparkling teeth. The truth, though, is smiling doesn’t cause these lines. Instead, it’s the changes that happen with the skin.

The skin looks supple and bounces when stretched because of a protein known as collagen. It is an essential component of the extracellular matrix that holds the skin together.

As a person grows older, however, the production of collagen declines. Combine that with sun damage, destructive lifestyle habits, and dehydration, and you have the perfect recipe for premature skin aging and dehydration.

Fortunately, science gives you many options to deal with laughing lines, such as injectable fillers. You can also delay their appearance or progress by using sunscreen, drinking lots of water, and avoiding smoking.

couple smiling at each other

3. A Smile Uses Only a Few Muscles than a Frown

Perhaps you’ve already heard the saying, “It takes 12 muscles to smile and more muscles to frown” and other versions with different numbers. In reality, this claim is unproven, according to Snopes.

Some types of research suggest that of the 40+ muscles on the face, a smile uses ten while a frown accounts for six. Depending on the smile, the number of muscles moving can also vary.

It doesn’t mean that a smile is useless. The action alone can already help make you feel happy. A smile can even reveal either a dental or another medical problem. For instance, if it droops to one side and happens alongside difficulty in speaking or inability to raise your arms, the person might be suffering from a stroke.

4. Smiling Can Improve Your Quality of Life

Many studies show that a smile can improve your mood and enhance your quality of life. In a 2019 meta-analysis by the University of Tennessee at Knoxville researchers, they learned that a smile could make a person happier and influence a person’s feelings.

A smile can also promote friendship, said a 2015 study. It seems human instinct to gravitate toward positive emotions than negative ones, like a frown or a scowl. Meanwhile, in 2011, Michigan State University researchers shared that a genuine smile can lead to a better workday.

Based on all this, one thing is clear: smiling can make you and the world feel better.

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