Think of it as getting yourself grounded and centered for a great performance, just like a singer, actor, or athlete might do.
You’ll get the photographer to laugh, which will make you laugh, and voilà—you’ve got a great natural smile going!
This is also a great strategy when you’re trying to take a group photo and are having trouble getting everyone to smile.
Visualize the person or event in as much detail as you can. Imagine yourself in that situation or with that person right now. You might even imagine the photographer or the person you’re talking to as your smile-inducing loved one!
If you’re taking pictures of someone and are trying to get them to smile, the simple act of surprising them by saying “say moolah” instead of “say cheese” may cause a genuine smile anyway.
Smiling with your eyes—or “smizing”—is a hallmark of a genuine smile. Try covering your mouth so that only your eyes and eyebrows are visible in the mirror. You should be able to “see” the smile even without seeing your mouth.
During a genuine smile, sometimes called a “Duchenne smile,” muscles in your cheeks and eyes contract involuntarily. You can’t voluntarily control these muscles during a manufactured smile.
To increase the resistance on the muscles, go through the exercise while using your index fingers to apply outward pressure to the sides of your mouth.
Here’s an even stranger idea—clamp your teeth down lightly on a pencil or chopstick to put your face in a smiling position. Just like faking a smile, this should increase your happiness and make you want to smile genuinely. But beware—clamping a pencil between your lips causes a frown and may make you more unhappy![13] X Research source
Brush your teeth twice per day, and floss once per day. Rinse with an antibacterial mouthwash. Visit your dentist once or twice per year for checkups and cleanings. Don’t forget about your gums. Gum health is an important part of a healthy smile. Consider carrying a small kit with you when you go out. You’ll be able to brush or just clean stray bits out of your teeth after a meal. Teeth whiteners may help manage minor imperfections in your smile that make you self-conscious. Having missing teeth, crooked teeth, or bad gums can be painful and embarrassing. The job of corrective dentistry is to fix these sorts of issues.
When you feel a smile coming on, remind yourself to not try to hold it back. Remember that smiling is good for your physical and emotional health. Try looking in the mirror, thinking of something happy or funny that causes you to crack a genuine smile, then saying to yourself, “This is my smile and it’s a good one!”
