Build your Self-Esteem: How a Good Smile can Affect your Confidence
The first thing that people notice when they meet you is your smile. It is inviting, creates a friendly environment, and shows respect and courtesy. A natural smile will make your day brighter, makes you look happy, professional, confident, relaxed, and boosts your self-esteem. This being the case, a healthy and radiant smile will not only boost your self-worth but also result in increased career-oriented and personal success.
The following are ways in which a good smile can affect your confidence.
Elevates your mood
Though you may not notice it, once you smile genuinely, if you were having a bad day, it gets brighter because your mood is elevated. Smiling improves your mood by creating a physiological response to the movement of muscles. Your brain immediately releases feel-good chemicals known as endorphins, hence elevating your mood.
Spreads to other people
Smiling is known to be contagious; when you smile at someone, and they notice it, they become prompted to smile back. However, your smile has to be real and genuine for you to get one back. When other people smile back at you, it boosts your confidence. Likewise, it takes a lot of confidence to smile at someone, especially when they are new to you.
Keeps you looking young
Studies indicate that when you smile at someone, your face is judged to be younger than you might be. Neutral expressions make you look your age, while frowning a lot causes wrinkles and makes you look older.
Makes you look approachable
When you smile often, whether at work, in your neighborhood, or at the mall, you find that more people will want to talk to you. Also, there will be fewer people who shy away from you when you speak. A genuine smile makes you look confident, which is a quality that attracts people to you. People will view you as trustworthy, intelligent, and sociable. The simple act of smiling makes people feel comfortable to hold conversations with you, thereby creating and maintaining good relationships.
How to improve your smile to build your self-esteem
While smiling elevates your mood and builds your self-esteem, various circumstances may cause you to feel embarrassed about smiling or make you shy away when people smile at you. In this case, you might need to make some changes for you to reap the benefits of smiling. They include:
Practicing self-care- Practice oral hygiene by brushing and flossing with a good toothpaste. Change your old toothbrush and buy a flavored mouthwash.
Visit your dentist for treatment- Sometimes, you might need a smile makeover, either because you have crooked or chipped teeth and braces you can't remove. In this case, you may need Comprehensive Orthodontic Treatments to restore your natural smile.
Practice smiling- For some people, a smile comes to them naturally, but for those who find it difficult, some practice can help. You can do so by taking selfies from different angles to find out which smile looks best on you.
Bottom line
A smile is necessary to make your days brighter, boost your confidence, and make you successful. Additionally, a smile makes you more approachable, helps you make better relationships because it is contagious, and keeps you looking young. If you have a hard time smiling, you can improve your smile by practicing self-care, seeking treatment, and doing more practice on your smile.
