These days, many young people, as well as older people reentering the dating scene, use dating apps to try to meet people.
Unfortunately, it can be hard to find success with this approach. After weeks or months of bad experiences (or, worse, no experiences), you might wonder what’s wrong. It turns out, one of the secrets to success is a simple smile. That’s according to a scientist who has worked at Bumble and Tinder, and has looked at the data.
For most of us, that’s an easy fix: just put a smiling picture on your profile. But if you’re unhappy with your smile, it might not seem so easy. Fortunately, cosmetic dentistry in Rancho Mirage and maybe a trip to a florist before your big date can help.
Why Smiling Makes You More Dateable
Dr. Jess Carbino currently works for the dating app Bumble, but she used to work at Tinder. As such, she’s seen a lot of the data about what makes for successful profiles firsthand. She notes that smiling is a powerful tool to help you get a date. The secret, she says, is two properties of smiling that are hardwired into the human system.
First, she says, when people see your smile, they usually smile themselves, even just a little bit. This then releases endorphins, the body’s feel-good chemicals. As a result, they associate you with a positive sensation, which means they’re more likely to want to contact you. That’s why smiling makes “a significant difference” in whether people contact you or not.
But maybe you’re uncomfortable taking the word of just one scientist. You don’t have to. Similar findings came from the dating app Coffee Meets Bagel. They found that an open-mouthed smile was more likely to get a person’s profile “liked.” Nearly 80% of the men who got “liked” more than 50% of the time had an open-mouthed smile with their teeth showing. That’s compared to only 16% who weren’t smiling and just 5% who had a closed mouth smile.
Still not convinced? Well, how’s about this survey showing that an attractive smile is the number one thing both men and women are looking for in a date?
So, Why Don’t People Smile?
Given the value of smiling, you’d think that most people just do it naturally for their dating profile. But, actually, that’s not the case. Dr. Carbino says that a surprising number of people use nonsmiling pictures for their profiles. That’s because we’re often told a different expression makes us more attractive. For men, we’re told that looking stoic is good. For women, the distant expression used by fashion models is often chosen.
But, as we’ve seen, that’s a mistake if you’re actually looking to get dates.
But What If You Don’t Like Your Smile?
From Dr. Carbino’s perspective, the only reason people aren’t smiling is that they think it’s more attractive not to smile. But this isn’t the case. Some people choose not to smile because they are unhappy with the appearance of their smile.
But if this is you, you don’t have to live with an unattractive smile. Cosmetic dentistry gives us many options for giving you a beautiful smile. With teeth whitening, we can brighten a discolored smile. Veneers let us repair chipped or worn teeth. They also let us close gaps or straighten crooked teeth. Sure Smile Aligners can also help you get a straighter smile.
If you have multiple concerns, we can design you a custom smile makeover that will give you a smile you’ll be happy to show in your profile and in person.
To learn more about getting a beautiful smile in Rancho Mirage, please call (760) 832-7915 today for an appointment with cosmetic dentist Dr. Rod Strober at Country Club Dentistry.
