5 Reasons How a Great Smile Boosts Confidence in Business and in Life
People judge you within one-tenth of a second.
That’s according to Psychological Science, anyway. Indeed, in their research on first impressions, psychologists found that our reactions to people are almost instantaneous. And they’re tough to alter once they’ve been formed.
Smiling is one way to ensure this split-second judgment falls in your favor.
But a good first impression is only one confidence-boosting benefit of a great smile. In reality, there are many other reasons that smiling can help in business and life.
Keep reading to learn 5 key reasons smiling is so important.
5 Reasons a Great Smile Boosts Confidence
Here are 5 main reasons why smiling can boost your confidence.
1. It Makes You Feel Great
Smiling feels good.
When you smile, your brain releases neurochemicals called endorphins. And endorphins feel great. They’re responsible for feelings of happiness as well as stress reduction.
Oh, and they help in pain management too.
2. It Can Alter Your Mood
Ever had one of those days where you just feel glum?
Well, forcing yourself to smile anyway might turn things around.
Remember those endorphins we just mentioned? Well, thanks to something called the facial feedback hypothesis, as the muscles in your face contract into a smile, your brain notices.
And because those same muscles usually signal that you’re in a happy mood, your brain convinces itself you must be happy. Say hello to a brighter day!
Think of it like reverse-engineered happiness. It’s real-world, psychologically sound, ‘fake it ’til you make it’ methodology.
3. It Makes You More Likeable
Smiling is a sure-fire way to endear you to others.
In fact, it’s associated with positive traits such as openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. All of which are key components of likeability.
Which is crucial when it comes to business and workplace environments. For example, likeability has been linked to success in all manner of domains including marketing efforts and even presidential campaigns.
4. It Improves Your Relationships
People who smile a lot have better relationships.
Thanks to factors such as likeability, smiling has a big say in our interpersonal relationships. Think about it, what happens when you smile at someone? Nine times out of ten, they smile back.
Smiling is a building block of close connections between colleagues and future friends.
It’s a joy to spend time with people who know how to smile. And where business is almost always built on relationships, it’s clear that smiling is key to success.
5. It Makes You Healthier
Smiling is literally good for your health.
Seriously, it’s been shown that smiling can help your immune system, assist in pain relief and even make you live longer!
One way this is possible is because of all the positive things happening in your brain (remember the endorphins?!). For this reason, things like laughter (who doesn’t smile when they laugh?!) and positive thinking are an effective way of reducing stress and illness.
Time To Wrap Up
There you have it: 5 reasons that a great smile will boost confidence in business and life.
Reasons such as these explain why practices like cosmetic dentistry are becoming increasingly popular. It all starts with the happiness it brings.
The endorphins your brain releases feel fantastic. So much so that you can often improve your mood by just faking a smile. And that boost in positivity goes a long way in making you more likable, building strong relationships and even helping with physical health.
A great smile can introduce you to greater confidence in all domains of life.
Now, we’d love to hear from you. What sounds like the biggest benefit of smiling to you? Let us know in the comments.
