Smile from a psychological point of view. How to learn to smile beautifully and master the art of smiling

Secrets and mysteries of a smile

Among the variety of non-verbal means of communication, the smile occupies a special place. This is due not only to the role it plays in communication, but also to its amazing features.

A smile is a facial movement that can involve up to 53 facial muscles. And if you remember that there are 57 facial facial muscles, you understand how complex this movement is and how diverse a smile can be. In addition, the eyes are involved in this facial reaction - their expression is very important for understanding the essence of a smile.

It is traditionally believed that it expresses positive emotions: joy, pleasure, happiness. However, in the process of long evolution, the smile has acquired many types and meanings, and in modern man it often expresses rather contradictory emotions. For example, it is difficult to describe in a few words what feelings a sad, mocking, angry or tragic smile conveys. What does a person feel when he smiles doomedly? Hardly positive emotions. A person’s ability to convey through a smile a variety of feelings that are difficult to describe is one of the mysteries of this complex facial reaction.

Considering the complexity, you might think that learning to smile is very difficult and requires years of practice. But that's not true. Children begin to smile literally in the first weeks after birth, although, of course, many types of this facial reaction are mastered only by adults. Fortunately, our kids are incapable of sarcastic, contemptuous, or evil smiles.

Smiling does not need to be learned, because it is an innate expressive reaction. Even higher animals can smile: dogs, horses, dolphins, monkeys, etc. Expressive reactions arise as a manifestation of experienced emotions. A person has many of them, for example, redness of the skin, dilation and constriction of the pupils, tremors - trembling of the limbs, goosebumps on the skin, etc.

Expressive reactions are reflexive in nature, and a person cannot control them, voluntarily evoke or suppress them. So, we are not able to sweat or blush at our own request; our pupils also completely involuntarily dilate from fear and constrict from anger.

But the smile is unique. It is so important for a person that he has learned to control this reflex reaction. The importance of a smile in a person’s life is confirmed by the variety of its functions.

What is a smile from a physiological point of view?

These are contractions of the facial muscles, in particular the cheeks, lips and eyes, and when you smile, the number of muscles involved is less than when you frown. A smile expresses a good mood, pleasure, an ironic state, fun, and also a greeting. Have you noticed that it is difficult for you not to start smiling when you notice that a friend is coming towards you? :) Also, a smile is the best way to fill an awkward pause in a conversation or avoid answering a stupid question.

So a smile is a multifunctional facial and social tool, and every social person should learn to smile beautifully. Usually this is developed naturally, but we are ready to give you some practical tips that really work.

Functions of a smile

As you know, the centers of emotions are located in the brain, more precisely, in the subcortical zone, in the limbic system. Emotional states are a person’s reaction to various external stimuli associated with needs. If some objects or circumstances help us get what we want, then we experience positive emotions; if they interfere, then we experience negative emotions.

The experience of emotions is accompanied by biochemical processes in brain cells that affect the autonomic system and changes in the state of our body as a whole. Some changes can be observed visually. These are expressive reactions. In fact, expressive reactions are external manifestations of emotions; they carry information about a person’s experiences.

This also applies to a smile, so its main function is considered to be expression or expression of emotions. A face devoid of facial movements seems to be a lifeless mask, and the absence of a smile is alarming and causes mistrust in the person. But this is not its only function.

Communication functions

A smile is one of the most important non-verbal means of communication. And the point here is not only in transmitting information about a person’s emotional state. A smile has value in itself:

• A smiling person inspires trust and does not seem dangerous.
• With the help of a smile, you can set a person up for a positive attitude towards himself, because a smile, and therefore the corresponding emotions, are contagious. People begin to smile even when looking at a photograph of another smiling person.
• This facial reaction can convey complex information that cannot be conveyed in words. With its help, you can express sympathy, apologize, warn, show contempt, threat, etc.
• A smile also carries information about a person’s individual psychological characteristics. How he smiles: openly or hides his grin, sincerely or falsely, good-naturedly or evilly, often or rarely.

Sometimes, for communication and mutual understanding, especially among close people, just a smile is enough. But its absence can become a serious obstacle even in business communication.

Regulatory and psychotherapeutic functions

A person’s ability to voluntarily evoke a smile has made it a powerful means of regulating one’s mental state. It has been proven that if, when we are in a sad, depressed mood, we force ourselves to think about good things and smile, our mood immediately improves.

This happens because the movement of the facial nerves when smiling sends signals to the brain and “triggers” the corresponding biochemical reaction. Neurons begin to produce protein compounds associated with the experience of positive emotions. These are the hormones of joy and satisfaction - dopamine and serotonin, which provide positive feelings and affect the general state of the psyche: a person begins to feel calmer, more confident, he has hope for the best, and his soul brightens. Self-esteem and mental activity also increase, therefore, by smiling, we quickly find a way out of a difficult situation and solve problems.

A smile also stimulates the production of endorphins - substances that are largely responsible for the intoxicating feeling of happiness and euphoria. Endorphins suppress the production of another hormone, cortisol, associated with negative emotions, anxiety and fear. This helps relieve the effects of stress and makes us more resilient to stress.

A smile promotes relaxation, relaxation, relieving increased muscle tone, therefore, smiling, a person rests better and regains strength faster. By influencing the biochemistry of the brain, smiling and laughter literally have a healing effect on the body, which has been proven by serious scientific research.

The connection of a smile with health and positive emotions leads to the fact that smiling people are more attractive. They are the ones we prefer in communication, and we try to stay away from the gloomy and gloomy ones. This is a natural defensive reaction; a person is instinctively afraid of being “infected” by gloomy individuals with their failures, problems, and even real illnesses.

Smiling people are not just attractive, they literally attract the eye, we are the first to notice them in a crowd, they are a source of positivity in any community. American psychologist Paul Ekman experimentally found that we are able to notice the smile of another person at a distance of up to 300 meters.

Exercises

There are many exercises and proprietary techniques aimed at developing and maintaining an ideal smile. The most popular are:

1. Chameleon. It is necessary to open your mouth and stick out your tongue as much as possible, pointing its tip in front of you. The position should be maintained for 4–5 seconds, then rest for a few seconds.
2. Elephant. Inhale as much air as possible, then exhale sharply. The lips should be curled into a tube (similar to blowing out a match).
3. Camel. Initial state: cheekbones are pulled to the sides, lips are slightly parted. You should slowly imitate the chewing process, while drawing the number 8 with your lips.
4. Cheshire Cat. Initial state: lips are folded into a tube, all facial muscles are in a relaxed state, the corners of the lips are drawn out to the sides as much as possible (image of a smile). You need to take a deep breath and exhale the air slowly for 5-7 seconds.
5. Whale. The lips are folded into a tube, while maintaining the minimum possible clearance (5–8 millimeters), the cheeks are inflated with air. Take a deep breath, then exhale the air, creating pressure. Exhalation is done in bursts.
6. Fish. The lips are folded into a tube and stretched out in front of you as much as possible. You need to open your mouth slightly and close it again, similar to a fish that has just been taken out of the water.
7. Dudka. Whistling any melody for 3-4 minutes. Sounds should be as loud and clear as possible.

Technique for performing the Fish exercise

It is important! A set of exercises should be performed 4-5 times every day. When the exercises are easy, you can increase the number of repetitions (but not more than 1 per day). It should also be taken into account that it is not only the lips and nearby muscles that should smile, but the entire face.

This group allows you to create a symmetrical smile for patients who have suffered an acute disorder of cerebral blood supply (ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes, transistor ischemic attacks). Their effectiveness has been proven.

How to learn to smile beautifully

A smile is a very powerful tool of psychological influence, so it is worth learning how to use it, especially in our time, when this expressive reaction is not only an indicator of mood, but also an attribute of business communication, such as a suit. But not everyone can “put on” a smile the same way as a suit.

A few words about an insincere smile

The pages of websites and glossy magazines describe exercises that should teach a person to smile. Indeed, you can practice every day in front of the mirror, carefully monitoring how many teeth are exposed, whether your gums are visible, using muscle effort to create dimples on your cheeks and squinting your eyes. But often this does not bring the desired effect. Why?

Because there is no warmth and sincerity in such a trained smile. Because you don't feel the joy of communication that you want to demonstrate with a smile. People instinctively notice this and do not trust those who deceive them. Because smiling is still a reflex reaction and it is impossible to control all 50 facial muscles that are involved in it. Even 17 is impossible. But there are also eye expressions that are even more difficult to control than muscles. Have you noticed how the eyes of those who sincerely smile at you, who are glad to meet you and who are interested in you, shine?

If there is no sincerity, then the result is not a smile, but a grin or an advertisement for teeth without caries. Cold, formal, duty, Hollywood - such a smile has many names, but it lacks warmth and true feelings.

The art of smiling: advice from a psychologist

To learn to smile sincerely, brightly, beautifully, you must first of all experience positive feelings, strive to share your kindness with your interlocutor, with the whole world. In this case, you won’t even have to strain your facial muscles, because you can smile with your eyes alone, and people will understand, feel the warmth of your smile and trust you.

I can give advice to love the world around you and the people in this world. It is both simple and difficult to implement. People are different, some are completely unsympathetic. Life circumstances are also not always pleasing. How can you make yourself smile sincerely if it is necessary, for example, to establish contact with the right person? You should first configure yourself:

1. Relax. If you know about the upcoming meeting in advance, then take time for relaxation: take a walk in the park, take a warm bath with aromatic salts, or at least just sit in a chair, closing your eyes and remembering something pleasant.
2. Teach yourself to control your thoughts. This is easier than regulating your emotional state. Do not allow negative thoughts into your mind, shield yourself from them with something positive. Unpleasant memories of one’s own failures, grievances, and problems are destructive to the psyche. In addition, they cause a wave of negative emotions, which in turn increase irritation and provoke new evil thoughts. And now you already hate the whole world, noticing the machinations of enemies everywhere. What a smile!
3. Tune in to a pleasant wave. Think about something joyful, bright, festive and smile at your thoughts and memories, the images that you evoked in your mind. It’s better to always have a few such pleasant topics in stock that make your soul lighten, so that you can turn to them at the right moments. For some, these are memories of summer holidays at sea, for others, images of cheerful pets, for others, communication with children and grandchildren. But everyone has such bright corners in their souls. Take care of them.
4. You created a good mood for yourself, smiled, and try to maintain this positive state in yourself. Don't let it be spoiled by either people or your own thoughts.
5. Before an important meeting with a person or group of people, be sure to form a positive attitude towards them. In psychology there is a law of attraction: the better we treat our partner, the more inclined he is towards us. And a sincere smile is one of the most effective means of “tuning” your interlocutor. It is not always easy to form a good attitude towards your partner, but you can find positivity in any situation. Learn to see the good in the world and in people, and it will not only become easier for you to smile, but also to live more pleasantly.
6. But what if it’s still difficult to arouse sympathy for your interlocutor? This also happens. Then try to abstract yourself from it and think about something of your own, but always pleasant. And smile anyway.

Such a mood to smile is not immediately given to everyone, especially to those people who are accustomed to thinking that when doing serious business, they need to remain serious. Over time, they may even forget how to smile. Then there is only one way out - train your facial muscles in front of the mirror, follow the instructions of popular sites. And sincerely smile in the mirror, at least for yourself - it’s still easier to love yourself than everyone else. And gradually your face and brain will get used to smiling.

How to make your smile wider?

If your bottom row of teeth is irregularly shaped, you must learn to smile in a way that partially hides them. It is extremely important to show the surface of the upper row of teeth while relaxing your face and trying to smile sincerely with your eyes.

Remember also that the width of a smile largely depends on the shape of the lips. Unless you have very large lips, an overly stretched and wide smile will create an impression of tension and anxiety. You need to learn to smile so that the canines of the upper row of teeth only lightly touch the lower lip - but are not completely exposed.

Beautiful smile and face type

A smile can change the visual perception of the shape of the face and skull in the same way that a haircut changes a woman's face or a beard changes a man's face. For example, people with a long face are advised to focus on the vertical aspect of their teeth and not smile too widely or too openly - this will not be read as a beautiful smile, but as an indicator of aggression.

For those with square and round faces, a wide smile, on the contrary, will help make the face visually more oval and “correct” - while a smile with a closed mouth will create the impression of modesty. In turn, for people with an oval face type, both a modest smile with a closed mouth and a wide Hollywood smile are suitable.

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The Hollywood smile is not just a wide-open mouth, but the ability to smile with your whole face. In fact, a correct and beautiful smile is a combination of joyful and calm eyes with moderate tension of the facial muscles, allowing only the upper row of teeth to show. In order to learn to smile, it is important to practice.