Everybody wants to know what the secret to a happy life is – and the answer could lie in your smile.

Tooth whitening may sound like a shallow cosmetic procedure for the rich and famous. But in fact, tooth whitening could be at the heart of a happier life. Acting happy or forcing yourself to smile has been proven to make you happier. The phenomenon was discovered by psychologist Fritz Stack who in 1988 carried out an experiment: he asked one group of participants to force a smile by placing a pencil in their mouths for 20 seconds, without touching it with their lips. The other group he asked to frown. The experiment revealed that those who forced a smile reported that they enjoyed a comedy show more than the frowners. The reasons are thought to be physiological – your mind reacts to the physical act of smiling. Tooth whitening will make you feel happier about your smile encouraging you to smile for no apparent reason just to flash your sparkling teeth!

Tooth Whitening to Flash Your Smile

According to the magazine Psychology Today, you need to forget about money and stop worrying about ageing, the key to happiness is acting happy. Some people have a naturally happy disposition regardless of what life throws at them. There are four components that are important for happy people:

• You have to like yourself! Happy people have good self esteem. If you hate your teeth, invest in tooth whitening – life’s too short to feel unhappy because of something that’s easily fixed. The best predictor of happiness is satisfaction with the self (not family life or friends!) It goes back to the cliché, to discover love you need to love yourself first. Remember: there’s nothing wrong with self enhancement.
• Be optimistic (but realistic) – if you’re filled with hope, you’ll be happy. Always see the glass as half full. Studies have proven that optimists have been found to be healthier too as pessimistic mindsets make us more vulnerable to illness. Optimists also enjoy greater success because they’re more likely to say yes to people than no.
• Be Outgoing – People who are happy to flash happy-go-lucky smiles tend to feel happy with their looks and teeth. Tooth whitening has been used by every Hollywood celebrity around to boost their appeal! The more self assured you are, the more likely you are to like yourself and exude confidence – qualities that are likely to bring you success in life. Extroverts are statistically more likely to get married, find a good job and have close friends.
• Be in Charge of Your Destiny – If you hate your yellowing teeth, take control and book a tooth whitening session! People who feel they have personal control over their lives have been found to be happier. Feeling in control can create ‘extraordinary positive feelings of happiness’ and help you deal with stress.

Personality is hard to change but if you want to become a happier person, you can act yourself happy. By presenting yourself in a self enhancing way (rather than a self-deprecating way) you will change how people respond to you and build better self esteem. So get smiling!