Say Cheese!

The portrait of Mona Lisa became famous not just because of the artist who painted it but because of her engaging smile. It's so enthralling no one ever paid attention to her non-apparent eyebrows. Hihihi.

Smiling, as know it, is our way of expressing happiness--but that is not always the case. Studies show that there is a lot more than showing that pearly white set of teeth you have. Smiling says a lot about the person wearing that grin. 

Researchers found 4 findings:

1. According to a research in the journal Motivation and Emotion published in 2009, the way people smiled in old photographs predicts their success in marriage. The psychologists conducted the study by looking at old high school yearbooks and old childhood photos. It was then revealed that the biggest grinners in the yearbooks did not divorce later in life and that most of the straight-faced underwent divorce. Moreover, the childhood photos of people over 65 had the same result. 

The researchers reported that a bigger smile reflect a more happy-go-lucky life and may attract a happier partner that may lead to a happy relationship.

2. A healthy smile reflect a person's overall health. And for women it can also mean fertility. In the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology, women with gum diseases take two months longer to conceive than women without.

Gum diseases are also linked to other illnesses.

3. Smiling can also reveal how much money a person can make. Less worry means more focus on job-related tasks thus having a more successful career.

According to a study published in 2012 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, happy teens earned 10 percent more income than average at age 29, while gloomy adolescents earned 30 percent less than average at that age.

Powerful people smile only when they feel happy unlike their lesser counterparts who only smile just to be ingratiated.

4. Smiling is not only about happiness but also a display of social status. Research shows that high-powered people, as well as interacting with others of equal power, smile whenever they feel happy. In contrast, people who are less powerful than people      they are interacting with smile regardless of the emotion they are feeling.


The meaning of smiles depend on social contexts. It is not only a reflection of emotions but health as well. Some smiles bring benefits while some reveal hidden weaknesses.

Now, think of a reason why you smile. :)



Source:

http://www.livescience.com/41144-5-smile-secrets.html