How Your Smile Can Help Your Self Confidence

For almost all of us, a smile is an instinctive reaction. You rarely decide to smile at something – it just happens. It’s one of the most natural forms of self-expression there are; our smiles are tied deeply into our mental and emotional states, and how we feel about ourselves. It’s just one reason why looking after your smile is the key to staying happy and healthy. This week, we take a bit more of an in-depth look at exactly how our smiles affect our self-confidence and esteem.

How Our Smiles Affect Us

It’s easy to make the mistake of thinking of your smile as something only other people can see – but even if we can’t see what we look like most of the time, our smiles affect us at least as much as they affect others, if not more! Even when you’re on your own, just the act of smiling releases a flush of endorphins (known by some as ‘happy chemicals’) in your brain, which makes you happy and self-confident. It’s for exactly this reason that just smiling is key to a positive attitude.

And when it comes to positive attitudes – boy, there’s nothing they’re not useful for! Not only can they help us to deal with the bad stuff that surfaces in our lives occasionally, but they can make us more productive, too. A happy, healthy mindset often makes us more enthusiastic and motivated, which means we get more done; whether we’re spending time at the office, running errands, or polishing off a few household chores. All thanks to a simple smile!

By the same token, we’re often very conscious of how our smiles look when seen by other people. Missing, stained or crooked teeth can therefore have a hammer-blow on our self-confidence. Lots of adults have a problem with crooked teeth, as they perceive adult braces to have a certain stigma attached to them. (Thankfully, at AP Smilecare we have a range of treatments that take exactly these kinds of worries into account; for example, Invisalign braces.)

How Our Smiling Affects Other People

We won’t delve into too much of the psychology, but it’s not hard to see that smiles are a key social cue for us in many of our interpersonal interactions. It’s how we interact with our friends, our family and our colleagues, as well as strangers on the street. It’s an almost universal sign of friendliness, and can communicate more complex emotions like amusement, affection, or encouragement. Businesspeople smile to foster good professional relationships, while in the dating world many people rate a good smile as pivotal factor in a person’s attractiveness.

Numerous studies support the notion that people mirror our emotions – in other words, our smiles tend to make other people happy too. A person’s smile is one of the first things we always notice when meeting new people, and it’s often a factor that we use in forming our very first impressions of someone. We’re sure that if you’ve ever been introduced to someone who’s remained stony face throughout your introduction, you’ve noticed it! Unless that person quickly does something to change your mind, you’re probably not going to want to spend much time with them, either. It’s exactly this kind of example that demonstrates how much we rely on smiles to interact with each other!

It’s Important To Look After Your Smile!

The heading says it all, really. With so many of our social interactions hinging on our smile, it makes it all the more important to keep your teeth and gums in tip-top condition. People who are afraid or embarrassed of their smile can find it severely impacting their quality of life, as well as their relationships with others. Being afraid to smile is no way to live!

At AP Smilecare, we’re passionate about your ability to live life to its fullest, being as happy as you can be. That’s why we offer a variety of treatments to help get your smile just how you want it. We mentioned adult braces above, and our smile makeover treatment is another fantastic way to perfect your smile.

Call 01254 297 000 to book an appointment, or email us on enquiries@apsmilecare.co.uk. We’re here to help!

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