When it comes to success in the workplace, your smile can have a bigger impact than you might think. A number of studies have shown that your smile is one of the very first things people notice and the feature they most easily recall. You can leave a lasting impression with a beautiful smile, helping you land the job or promotion you’ve had your eye on, negotiate a better salary, and even motivate the people around you to improve their job performance!
Straight teeth, good oral health, and a functional bit are all components of professional success that you may have never considered until now. So what happens when you’re dealing with crooked teeth, misalignment, or other orthodontic issues? The team here at About Faces and Braces believes in helping patients achieve their full potential. Whatever the state of your smile, you can reach any goal you set for yourself. If you’re looking for a way to add a little something extra to your career path, our treatment options are the perfect place to start! Let’s take a deeper look into how you can leave a lasting impression with a beautiful smile and how our team can help you achieve it.
Smiling is contagious
It’s human nature to mimic facial expressions, and we often don’t even realize we’re doing it! This can trigger a similar emotional state and briefly boost our mood. It also allows us to better understand the person with whom we are communicating and respond accordingly. This is why we tend to smile back at someone who smiles at us. It turns out that there really is something to the old saying “smiles are contagious!”
A great smile may also indicate to potential employers that you could provide a positive influence to your fellow coworkers. Yale University professor, Sigal Barsade, Ph.D., conducted a study to show the truth behind this. Volunteers were divided into small groups and assigned specific tasks, with one team member instructed in secret to act happy and energetic upon entering the room. When that person came in with a big smile on their face, the mood was almost instantly improved! Barsade also found that each individual’s performance improved and the group itself was more likely to achieve the goal it had been given.
A similar study was undertaken by scientists at the University of Kansas, where subjects were given stressful tasks to complete. Some participants were asked to smile during these tasks, while others were told to maintain a straight face. Researchers measured the heart rates of the participants, and the subjects were asked to self-report their stress levels as they performed the tasks.
Those who had been told to smile had lower heart rates and their bodies showed more resistance to stress. They also reported feeling more positive overall than those who were told to keep a straight face, proving there really is power in a smile! A positive attitude and a big smile are attractive to employers and coworkers alike, something that can give you an advantage on the job.
Taking a look at the Halo Effect
Researcher Edward Thorndike coined the term “halo effect” in 1920. It describes the shortcut our brains take to attribute multiple admirable qualities to a person if we see one positive quality. Essentially, we extrapolate information about a person based on our own perception of them. While it may not necessarily be a fair way to process new people we encounter, it’s human nature, and highlights just how significant first impressions can be!
One trait that’s been proven to kick the halo effect into overdrive is a bright, healthy, and beautiful smile. People with an attractive smile are naturally seen as smarter, wittier, more successful and hardworking, and more trustworthy than those who don’t smile often or struggle with oral health. If you’ve been trying to get your foot in the door at a new job or close out a big deal, your smile could set off that halo effect in a way that will serve you well.
Set the tone with your smile
There’s no denying that a genuine smile helps put others at ease. It can also make you appear more friendly and approachable, which most people will notice right away. For example, when you attend a job interview, your credentials are only part of what the interviewer will be paying attention to. If you appear stiff, unfriendly, or lacking the ability to connect with others, it could hurt your chances of securing the position or promotion you desire. The most successful businesses don’t just look for qualified applicants – they also want someone who will be a good addition to their team by contributing to a positive work environment and building a rapport with coworkers and clients.
Improve your self-confidence
If you’ve found yourself struggling with self-confidence, it’s unlikely that you’ll want to step out of your comfort zone to take risks, but this is often exactly what’s necessary for success! Being happy with your appearance can make you feel better about yourself and having a smile that you love can really boost your confidence. Invisalign actually conducted a survey on this and found that almost 80% of adults who underwent orthodontic treatment said that having a healthier smile gave them the confidence to do something they never would have considered doing before. That’s pretty significant!
It may not be ideal that appearance plays such a major role in how we feel about ourselves and how we are perceived by others, but there’s no denying it can influence our overall hire-ability. Orthodontic treatment can give you a beautiful smile that you’ll want to show off to the world, including potential employers!
Find your most successful smile at About Faces and Braces
The team at About Faces and Braces is committed to helping patients of all ages achieve a healthy smile that looks and feels amazing. We offer a variety of orthodontic treatments including traditional metal braces and the innovative Invisalign clear aligner system. Thanks to advances in modern technology, orthodontic treatments are more comfortable than ever before, and in many cases, are also relatively discrete. This is great news for adult patients and image-conscious teens!
Speaking of adult patients, we’re seeing more of them than ever before. As a matter of fact, about 1 in every 5 current orthodontic patients is over the age of 18. Healthy teeth can be straightened at any age, and current treatment options make it easier than ever to get the smile of your dreams. While correcting orthodontic issues will improve your oral health, don’t underestimate the impact of improved self-confidence, too! Smiling has been directly linked to better moods, increased positivity, and being able to connect with others more easily. It’s also shown to reduce stress levels, something most of us can appreciate in this day and age.
Start your smile transformation today!
It’s easy to see how a beautiful smile can increase your self-esteem, help you make a positive first impression, and even give you the edge you need to smash the career goals you’ve set for yourself. If you’re ready to learn more about how we can give you a smile that will help you get ahead, contact our office today to schedule a complimentary consultation with one of our expert doctors. There’s never been a better time to take the first step towards a successful smile!