Discussing the science behind a smile

In the musical “Annie,” it was said that you’re never fully dressed without a smile. At a recent media conference for Philips Oral Healthcare at the California Dental Association spring session in Anaheim, Dr. Ann Demarais, a psychologist from New York, told the crowd that a smile is not only an essential part of your everyday wardrobe, but should also be a part of your everyday mental makeup as well.

Dr. Demarais, co-author of the book, “First Impressions: What You Don’t Know About How Others See You,” spoke to the CDA media crowd about the effect that a smile can not only have on you and your outlook, but also how it can affect those around you as well.

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In a talk dubbed, “The science behind a smile,” Dr. Demarais listed several examples for the audience of not only how the brain functions differently when a smile is present, but also psychological studies that showed the difference a smile can make.

“In one study, people looked at photos of other people, some of whom were smiling and some of whom had other facial expressions,” Dr. Demarais said. “When the photos were shown to the same people later but all the photo subjects had the same expression, people remembered the faces of those who smiled more than the people who didn’t.”

Following her talk, Dr. Demarais took the time to summarize her talk for Dental Products Report and Modern Hygienist. Click below to hear Dr. Demarais talk about the science behind a smile.