The Body Language of Smiles

The Body Language of Smiles is vital for a positive attitude. here’s a quote for it:

“You can go a long way with a smile. You can go a lot farther with a smile and a gun.”

Well I won’t give you a gun, but I can show you how to use your smile to go long…

Whatever the reason, the smile has a powerful positive effect on us. It’s hard to resist such simple yet affectionate gesture.

Let’s dive in and learn about body language, smiles and their meaning.

“Let’s put a smile on that face…”

With the right smile and eye contact you half the way through to leave positive impression on almost about anyone. If there is one thing you should learn in body language – it’ll be to know how to smile and when. It’s really that simple and important in my opinion.

Try smiling to complete strangers and you will find that many will return a smile back. It’s instantly creating some bond between you.

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Why? Well there are many explanations by anthropologists and psychologists, but the common reason is that it’s a non threat gesture. The smile developed from the facial expression of fear – grimace. In both the mouth pulls back and reveal teeth.

To smile It’s like saying: “Hi, I’m John Doe, I come in peace” – well at least it’s the basic idea, there are some evil smiles too (:

Another note: Because the smile is by nature an appeasement gesture, it turns off aggression and makes the aggressor feel some empathy towards the victim.
Ever tried to assault someone who’s smiling and standing with his palms wide open? It’s like murdering someone in cold blood, it’s very hard morally.

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One more good reason to smile – It’s Connecting People (even more than Nokia)

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It’s difficult for us to connect to people who are always frowning and serious. They look distant, arrogant and self centered to us, even if that’s not true. We need the smile to feel some human bond and connection.

So, Should I Smile All the Time?

The obvious answer is – Yes! Just kidding – no. Like pretty much everything else in life it’s good in measure. You should smile a lot, but not too much.

The downside of the smile (Oh the irony…) is that it shows submissiveness- the person who smiles usually seek to appease the other person, especially if the smile is not returned. This is an act of giving approval, and if you want to seem superior to someone in a situation, it’s better to minimize your smiles and appear more solid and serious. This depends heavily on the context, so use this as a guideline only.

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Consider also that If you’ll smile all the time, people may think that you are lying and hiding something, or just got off the tracks… so, unless it’s your aim… keep it in good measure.

Work It

It’s better to work a bit on your social smile, especially if you’re perceived as a somber person. Work with a mirror and see how your smile looks. Don’t exaggerate it to appear completely idiotic and fake, but get comfortable with it. Even a small and quick smile is better than nothing.

Keep in mind, a smile that lasts a little longer than a split second , have a greater effect and impression.

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