1224 McFarland Blvd. NE Tuscaloosa, AL. 35406
205-750-0081
When it comes to professional success, your smile can have a bigger impact than you might think. A number of studies have shown that your smile is one of the first things people notice about you and the feature they most easily recall. Having a healthy smile that stands apart from the crowd can help you land the job or promotion you want, negotiate a better salary, and even motivate those around you to improve their job performance! You can leave a lasting impression with a beautiful smile from Cowan Orthodontics.
Straight teeth, good oral health, and a functional bite are key components to professional success that you may not have previously considered. So what happens when you’re dealing with crooked teeth, misalignment, or other orthodontic issues? Here at Cowan Orthodontics, we believe in unlocking a patient’s full potential. Whatever the current state of your smile, you can achieve any goal you set for yourself. If you’re looking for a way to add a little something extra to your career path, orthodontic treatment with Dr. Glen Cowan is the perfect place to start! Let’s explore why smiles matter when it comes to professional success, and what part our team can play in helping you achieve it.
It’s human nature to mimic facial expressions and we often don’t even realize we’re doing it. This can trigger a similar emotional state and briefly boost our mood. It also helps us to better understand the person with whom we are communicating and respond appropriately – which is why we tend to smile back when someone smiles at us. It turns out that there really is something to that old saying “Smile and the world smiles with you!”
A great smile may also show potential employers that you could be a positive influence on those around you. Yale University professor Sigal Barsade, Ph.D. conducted a study to demonstrate this theory. Volunteers were divided into small groups and assigned specific tasks, with one team member instructed in secret to act upbeat upon entering the room. When that person came in with a big smile on their face, the mood was almost instantly elevated! Barsade also found that each individual’s performance improved and the group itself was more likely to achieve the goal it had been given.
A similar study was undertaken by scientists at the University of Kansas, where subjects were given stressful tasks to complete. Some participants were asked to smile during these tasks, while others were told to maintain a straight face. Researchers measured the heart rates of the participants, and the subjects were asked to self-report their stress levels as they performed the tasks.
Individuals who had been told to smile had lower heart rates and their bodies showed more resistance to stress. They also reported feeling more positive overall than those who were told to keep a straight face, proving the power in a smile! A positive attitude and a big smile are attractive to employers and coworkers alike, something that can give you an advantage on the job.
Researcher Edward Thorndike coined the term “halo effect” in 1920. It describes the shortcut our brains take to attribute multiple positive qualities to a person if we see one positive quality. Essentially, we extrapolate information about a person based on our own perception of them. While it may not be a particularly fair way to process new people we meet, it’s human nature, and highlights just how significant first impressions can be!
One trait that’s been shown to kick the halo effect into gear is a bright, healthy, and attractive smile. People with a beautiful smile are naturally seen as smarter, wittier, more successful and hardworking, and more trustworthy than someone who doesn’t smile often or struggles with oral health. If you’ve been trying to get your foot in the door or close out a deal, your smile could set off that halo effect in a way that will serve you well.
It’s no secret that a genuine smile can help to put others at ease. It can also make you appear friendlier, which most people will take note of right away when you meet them for the first time. For example, when you attend a job interview, your credentials are only part of what your interviewer will be looking at. If you come across as stiff, unfriendly, or lacking the ability to connect with others, it could hurt your chances of being offered the position or promotion you desire. The most successful companies don’t just look for qualified candidates, they also want someone who will be a good addition to their team by contributing to a positive work environment and building a good rapport with coworkers and clients.
If you don’t feel confident in yourself, you won’t want to step outside your comfort zone to take risks, but this is often exactly what’s required for success! Being comfortable with your appearance can make you feel better about yourself, and having a smile you love can really boost your self-confidence! Invisalign actually conducted a survey on this and found that almost 80% of adults who completed orthodontic treatment said that having a healthier smile gave them the confidence to do something they never would have considered doing before. We think that’s pretty significant!
It may be unfortunate that appearance plays such an important role in how we feel about ourselves and how others perceive us, but there’s no denying it can influence our overall hireability. Orthodontic treatment can give you a beautiful smile that you’ll want to share with the world, including potential employers!
At Cowan Orthodontics, we help patients of all ages achieve healthy, beautiful smiles that feel great and look amazing. We offer a multitude of orthodontic treatment options from traditional metal braces to the innovative Invisalign clear aligner system. Thanks to modern orthodontic technology, these treatments are more comfortable than ever before, and in many cases, are also relatively discrete. This is great news for adult patients in Tuscaloosa!
Speaking of adult patients, we’re seeing more of them than ever before. In fact, about 1 in 5 current orthodontic patients is over the age of 18. Healthy teeth can be successfully moved at any age, and today’s treatment options make it easier than ever to get the smile you’ve always dreamed of. While correcting orthodontic issues will improve your oral health, don’t underestimate the importance of improved self-confidence! Smiling has been linked to improved moods, more positivity, and being able to connect and build relationships with others more easily. It’s also shown to reduce stress levels, something most of us can appreciate in this day and age!
If you’d like to learn more about how we can give you a smile that will help you get ahead, get in touch today to schedule a complimentary consultation with Dr. Cowan. Now is the perfect time to take the first step towards a successful smile!
June 16, 2020
October 2, 2020
