You’ve seen it. That weird, stiff expression in a passport photo where someone looks like they’re being held hostage by their own face. It’s a "smile," technically. The mouth is turned up. The teeth are visible. But something is totally off. Honestly, most advice on how to make a smile fails because it focuses entirely on the lips, ignoring the fact that a real grin is a full-body neurological event.
Humans are incredibly good at spotting fakes. We have spent thousands of years evolving to read social cues, and a "pan-american" smile—that polite, shallow greeting you give a cashier—is processed differently by the brain than a genuine expression of joy. If you want to look better in photos or just feel more approachable, you have to stop thinking about your mouth as a standalone feature.
The Duchenne Secret and Why Your Zygomaticus Major Isn't Enough
Back in the mid-19th century, a French neurologist named Guillaume Duchenne was obsessed with how faces move. He didn't just watch people; he used electricity to stimulate specific muscles. It sounds like something out of a horror movie, but his research changed everything we know about facial expressions. He discovered that a "real" smile requires two specific muscle groups working in tandem.
First, you have the zygomaticus major. This muscle pulls the corners of your mouth upward. You can control this one easily. It's what you use when you're pretending to be happy at a boring work meeting.
But the second muscle is the kicker: the orbicularis oculi.
This is the muscle that encircles your eye socket. When it contracts, it creates those "crow’s feet" wrinkles and pushes the cheeks up, narrowing the eyes. Duchenne found that most people cannot voluntarily contract the outer part of this muscle. It only hitches a ride when you are actually feeling something. That’s why we call a genuine expression a "Duchenne smile." If your eyes aren't "smiling," your face is essentially lying.
Forget the Cheese
Stop saying "cheese." Seriously.
The "ee" sound stretches the mouth horizontally into a grimace. It flattens the cheeks. It looks forced because it is forced. Professional portrait photographers often suggest words that end in an "uh" sound or an "ah" sound—like "yoga" or "mocha." These sounds keep the jaw relaxed and allow the lips to curve more naturally.
The Psychology of Social Connection
It isn't just about looking "pretty." A study published in the journal Psychological Science found that people with wider, more genuine smiles in their old yearbook photos tended to have higher levels of well-being and more stable marriages decades later. That’s not magic. It’s a feedback loop. When you smile authentically, people respond to you with more warmth. That warmth makes you happier. You smile more.
It’s a cycle.
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But what if you aren't happy? Can you fake it until you make it? There is some evidence for the "facial feedback hypothesis," which suggests that the act of moving your facial muscles can actually influence your mood. However, recent meta-analyses have shown the effect is likely smaller than we once thought. You can't just grin your way out of clinical depression, but for a quick boost in a high-pressure situation, the physical act of "making a smile" can lower your heart rate after a stressful task.
Practice Makes It Less Weird
If you feel awkward in front of a camera, you aren't alone. Most of us hate our own smiles because we see a mirrored version of ourselves every day, so a photograph looks "wrong" to our brains. This is the Mere Exposure Effect.
To fix this, spend some time in front of a mirror. Not to judge, but to calibrate.
- Try smiling with just your mouth. Look at how cold your eyes look.
- Now, try to "squinch." This is a term popularized by photographer Peter Hurley. You essentially lift your lower eyelids just a tiny bit. It conveys confidence.
- Combine the two.
Notice the difference?
A great trick is to press your tongue against the roof of your mouth, just behind your front teeth. This relaxes the jaw and prevents a "double chin" look by tightening the muscles under the jawline. It’s a subtle move, but it works.
When Dental Anxiety Gets in the Way
Sometimes the struggle with how to make a smile isn't about muscles; it's about confidence. If you're self-conscious about your teeth, you likely default to a closed-mouth smirk. While there’s nothing wrong with a closed-mouth smile (think Mona Lisa), it can sometimes come across as guarded or secretive.
If you are worried about staining or alignment, remember that most people notice the energy of a smile long before they notice the shade of your enamel. However, if it's truly holding you back, modern dentistry has moved way beyond just "perfect" veneers. Small tweaks like bonding or professional whitening can change how you carry yourself. But honestly? A flawed, genuine smile is always more attractive than a perfect, fake one.
The Three-Second Rule for Photos
When a photographer says "1, 2, 3," don't hold your smile the whole time. If you hold a smile for more than two or three seconds, it starts to look like a mask. Your muscles fatigue. Your eyes glaze over.
Instead:
Look away. Look down at your feet. When the photographer gets to "two," look up and think of something genuinely funny—not "happy," but funny. A specific joke. That time your dog did something stupid. The "Mona Lisa" effect happens when there is a flicker of a real thought behind the eyes.
Cultural Nuance Matters
Don't forget that a smile doesn't mean the same thing everywhere. In some cultures, smiling at strangers is seen as a sign of dishonesty or even low intelligence. In the U.S., we smile a lot as a way of saying "I am not a threat." In parts of Russia or the South Pacific, a smile is often reserved for people you actually know. If you’re traveling, pay attention to the baseline. You don't want to be the only person in the room grinning like a maniac if the vibe is serious and reserved.
Why Your Posture Is Part of Your Smile
You can't have a great smile if your shoulders are hunched up to your ears. Tension travels. If your neck is tight, your facial muscles will be tight.
Before you try to "make" the expression:
- Drop your shoulders.
- Take a deep breath.
- Let your jaw hang loose for a second.
- Then, let the smile start from the eyes and move down to the mouth.
It sounds high-maintenance, but after a while, it becomes muscle memory.
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Actionable Steps for a Better Expression
Stop overthinking it. Seriously. The more you "try" to smile, the worse it looks. Instead, focus on these physical cues to build a more natural habit:
- The Tongue Trick: Press your tongue to the roof of your mouth to stabilize the jaw.
- The Squinch: Practice lifting only your lower eyelids in the mirror to avoid the "deer in headlights" look.
- The Squint-Test: If you look at a photo of yourself and your eyes aren't slightly crinkled, you weren't actually smiling—you were just posing.
- Micro-Moments: Throughout the day, when you see something mildly pleasant, consciously let that feeling reach your eyes. This builds the neurological pathway so it's not a struggle when a camera appears.
- Moisturize: Sounds silly, but dry lips catch on your teeth. Keep a lip balm handy if you're doing a photoshoot; it makes the movement of your mouth smoother.
Start by practicing the "eye-only" smile while wearing a mask or covering your mouth with your hand. If people can tell you’re smiling just by looking at the top half of your face, you’ve mastered the mechanics. From there, the mouth will take care of itself.