The One Thing You Need to Know About a Great Smile
It’s not actually the smile that’s great
Have you ever wondered what makes one smile beautiful, and another, well, average?
You probably think you’re admiring a stunning set of teeth or a soft set of lips.
But truth be told, you’re noticing a whole lot more. You just have no idea what it is yet. Nor do you know why you sometimes feel the urge to say things like, “Has anybody ever told you that you have such a beautiful smile?”
I mean, you feel like you’re complimenting the smile. Isn’t that what your words seem to suggest?
In reality, you’re busy complimenting the person behind the smile.
What Does a Great Smile Actually Look Like?
According to the Association for Psychological Science, there’s one type of smile that’s considered to be the most genuine form of true enjoyment — it’s the one that makes you feel light-hearted when you see it.
And scientists refer to it as the “Duchenne smile”. It arises when the zygomatic major and orbicularis oculi muscles contract at the same time.
Now, without having to Google what I’ve just written, allow me to explain.
Such a smile appears when the corners of your mouth begin to rise and when your cheeks ascend upwards in such a way that you end up with crow’s feet around your eyes.
An exaggerated version would look a bit like this, in fact:
How to Upgrade Your Smile From Mediocre to Beautiful
So there you have it if you wish to improve your smile, start contracting your orbicularis oculi. Simple.
Let’s try this out for a moment. See if you can focus all your energy towards your face, take a deep breath, and begin smiling as you normally would if someone told you “cheese”. And, after a few seconds, once your jaws are fully loosened, begin to extend your smile until you start to see your crow feet around your eyes (tip: use a mirror).
How does that feel? Better, how does it look?
Terrible, right? You probably think you’re coming across as a creepy version of Ronald McDonald.
But, guess what, such a smile doesn’t always come naturally. So how do you get your Duchenne smile to feel comfortable, and well, look less creepy?
“Some researchers now believe that genuine smiles are not transient sparks of emotion but rather clear windows into a person’s core disposition.”
A beautiful smile comes from a beautiful soul.
Even Duchenne himself once said that only the “sweet emotions of the soul” can force your orbicularis oculi to contract.
But, umm, what about us regular folk, you know, the 99% of the world that’s still trying to come to terms with their insecurities? How do the rest of us, with slightly imperfect smiles, start expressing more of ourselves on the outside, even when we’re still working away at what’s on the inside?
How do we develop a beautiful smile that captures the amazement of those around us?
Easy.
Smile more.
It’s not rocket science, but seriously, all it takes is simply to smile to get your positive energy moving in the right direction again.
While I’m basically suggesting that we ought to “fake it till we make it”, why not think of this as embracing the ‘positive feedback loop’ that smiling brings about?
In other words, try (fake) smiling for a bit. Let the energy this brings to your face lighten your mood until you begin to smile naturally again. Thich Nhat Hanh said it best when he wrote:
“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.”
Final Thought
Regardless of whether you’ve still got a few things to work on to better bring out that beautiful soul of yours, you should still practice the art of smiling more. It’ll help you accelerate your journey towards becoming a more beautiful you.
And who knows, maybe one day, even after all these years, that cute barista you’ve been admiring at your local Starbucks might just utter the words, “Here’s your morning espresso, and by the way, I’ve never noticed, but you have a really nice smile.”
Until then, there’s only one thing you can do.
:)
