How to Smile Naturally

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This article was co-written by Adam Kealing. Adam Kealing is a photographer living in Austin, Texas. He specializes in general wedding photography and proposal photos. Adam has over 11 years of photography experience. His work has been featured in the magazines Green Wedding Shoes, Style Me Pretty, Once Wed and Snippet Ink. He has won numerous awards with Fearless Photographers and Masters of Wedding Photography.

There are 12 references cited in this article that you can view at the bottom of the page.

This article has been viewed 100,354 times.

Laughter is a universal language that is not only good for your health, but also makes you and those around you feel good. Therefore, smile a lot to get the most out of your smile. This article will give you many helpful tips to have a beautiful smile on screen, and some tips to help you smile more naturally. You will surely smile while reading the following!

Table of Contents

Close your eyes and take a deep breath.

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Clear your mind and relieve stress before smiling for the photo. The smile you try to make, such as for a photo shoot, can make you feel stressed! Trying to smile perfectly makes the facial muscles “stiff” and the face looks unnatural or even scary. To manage the stress of laughing, simply take a moment to close your eyes, relax your muscle groups, and breathe deeply. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Think of feeling confident and ready for a great performance as if you were a singer, actor, or athlete.

Relax your mouth muscles and mood with a funny expression.

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This relaxes your facial muscles and can make you laugh! Try opening your eyes and opening your mouth as wide as possible, then closing your eyes and mouth as many times as possible, or grimacing as much as you can and relaxing. Next, try making funny sounds like “motorboat” by biting your lips and exhaling forcefully through your mouth. ^{[2] X Research Source}

You’ll make the photographer laugh, and you’ll laugh too, and that’s it – you’ve got a very natural smile!

Tell jokes with the photographer.

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Tell jokes to make everyone laugh. You will tell a joke to the photographer, and encourage them to tell another. You don’t have to try to tell a great joke – even if you tell about an ironic experience, everyone will laugh together about the bad thing you had! ^{[3] X Research Sources}

This is also a great trick that you can use when people don’t feel comfortable laughing during a group photo.

Think of something that makes you happy.

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Reminisce about a happy memory or a prevailing trend. For example, you might think about your loved one or a very happy moment in your life. Or, recall a funny movie, song, internet meme, or content that always makes you laugh. Surely you will not be able to stop laughing no matter what the situation! ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Visualize a person or event in as much detail as possible. Imagine you are in that situation or with that person right now. You can even imagine the person taking the photo or the person you’re talking to is someone who loves to make you smile!

Try saying “kimchi” instead of “cheese”

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Saying words like “kimchi,” “ha ha,” or “yoga” will help you have a more genuine smile. We are so used to saying “cheese” when taking pictures. However, in reality, the word “cheese” does not make you smile naturally. Some photographers prefer to use words that end in the “a” sound because they make the cheekbones slightly raised. Many people think that the “i” sound creates a more natural-looking smile. Practice in front of a mirror and see which option works best for you. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

When you take a photo with someone and want them to smile, simply surprise them with the prompt “say yoga” instead of “say cheese” to help them have a genuine smile.

Smile with your eyes by lifting your eyebrows and cheeks.

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Focusing on the area above the mouth is a way to make your “fake” smile look more real. While you can’t actively contract your cheekbones and the muscles around your eyes for a genuine smile, you can practice to create the same effect. Focus on slightly lifting your cheeks and eyebrows when you’re pretending to smile for a photo or in a similar situation. You’d better practice in front of a mirror before applying! ^{[6] X Research Sources}

Smiling with the eyes is the standard of a genuine smile.
Try covering your mouth so you can only see your eyes and eyebrows in the mirror. Try to practice so that you can “see” the smile even with your mouth covered.

Compare real smiles and fake smiles to practice.

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See a photo or look in a mirror and compare mouth and face. In general, a “fake” smile uses only the mouth, while a “real” smile has the added support of the eyes and cheeks. Find the difference between the two types of laughter, and practice smiling in front of the mirror so that you can smile like the real thing. Gradually, the brain will remember this action and change it so that the “fake” smile looks more real. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

When you have a genuine smile, also known as a “Duchenne smile”, the cheek muscles and muscles around the eyes contract naturally. You cannot actively control these muscles while trying to force a smile.

Smile muscle

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Working out this muscle group to strengthen is a way to help you have a more natural-looking smile. First, you need to keep a normal facial expression, then smile slightly (don’t show your teeth) and hold for about 10 seconds. Next, open your lips to reveal a few teeth and hold for about 10 seconds, then open your lips a little more and hold for another 10 seconds, and finally smile with your teeth open for about 10 seconds. After performing this exercise, slowly close your mouth to return to the original expression. Do this exercise 5 times per day. ^{[8] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to Source}

To increase muscle resistance, you can exercise by using your index finger to apply force to the corners of your mouth.

Smiling for a genuine smile.

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This may sound strange, but forcing a smile can make you happier. Scientific research spanning 150 years shows that smiling even when you have to struggle can actually help you feel happier and smile naturally. So when you want to smile with genuine happiness, practice making it real. ^{[9] X Research Source}

Here’s a slightly weirder exercise – bite down on a pencil or chopstick to make your face look like it’s smiling. Similar to a forced smile, this makes you feel happy and want to laugh. However, you should be aware that holding the pencil with both lips can create an annoyed expression and make you unhappy! ^{[10] X Research Source}

Take care of your teeth for more confidence.

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Don’t let a toothache or low self-esteem affect your smile. In some cases, dental problems can make it painful to smile. However, often feeling self-conscious about your mouth, teeth, or gums is also a reason to shy away from smiling. Having a dental exam and maintaining a good oral care routine is an effective way to help you overcome these obstacles. ^{[11] X Research Source}

Brush your teeth twice a day and floss once a day. Gargle with antibacterial mouthwash. Visit your dentist once or twice a year to check your oral health and dental hygiene.
Do not forget to take care of the gums. Healthy gums are an important part of keeping your smile bright.
Carry a convenient oral care kit with you when you go out. Thus, you can brush your teeth or clean food plaque after eating.
Teeth whitening products contribute to the improvement of minor imperfections that make you uncomfortable when smiling.
Broken teeth, crooked teeth, or unhealthy gums cause pain and embarrassment. Orthodontics is the way to overcome these problems.

Cherish your unique smile

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Your smile is unique among the many smiles on this planet. You can’t find two identical smiles, and that’s a good thing! Maybe you can’t smile because you feel shy, self-conscious, pressured, or other reasons. However, with the right attitude, you will easily overcome these obstacles. ^{[12] X Research Source}

When you want to laugh, don’t try to control it. Remember that smiling is good for your physical and mental health.
Try looking in the mirror, think of something fun or funny that makes you smile naturally, and say to yourself, “I have a beautiful smile!”

Advice

Meet fun people. You will laugh more when you are around people who laugh a lot. Surely you have heard many people say that “smile is contagious”, and research has proven this to be true! ^{[13] X Research Source}
Practice smiling naturally even when you talk on the phone. Listeners can often feel a smile in speech even when the speaker’s face cannot be seen. The same is true even when you send an email or text! ^{[14] X Research Source}

Steps