Why Is Your Smile the Universal Communicator? The Science May Surprise You, Says Richmond Cosmetic Dentist

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Nov 29, 2010, 07:50 ET

RICHMOND, Va., Nov. 29, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- The human smile sets us at ease. People who don't smile openly are considered unapproachable, unlikeable and even dangerous. Charles Martin DDS, founder of the Richmond Smile Center (http://www.cosmeticdentistryrichmond.com), decided to find out why baring the teeth by smiling signals safety, when the same expression by an animal signals danger.

Smiling, as it turns out, is related to sound, according to research by John J. Ohala, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Linguistics at the University of California, Berkeley. Ohala discovered words sound better to humans when accompanied by a smile.

A smile gives the speaker's voice a higher pitch. Humans associate lower-pitched voices -- like those of larger, more threatening animals -- with danger, while higher voices are typically found in smaller animals. Over time, the visual cue of a wide smile has become connected with the sound of a higher pitched voice. Therefore, a smile conveys an absence of danger.

"We see an example of this in babies," Dr. Martin explained. "Babies respond more favorably to female voices, which are higher pitched than deeper, louder male voices. That's why we see grown men instinctively change their voices when speaking to babies."

Though adults don't respond as strongly to higher voices and smiles, we do tend to gravitate toward a smile. In fact, the sound of a voice accompanied by a smile is now so firmly ingrained in the human subconscious as safe and cheerful that a smile alone can make us feel good about someone.

"Showing our teeth through smiling tells people we're friendly and makes them comfortable being around us," said Dr. Martin. "How does the world view us if we refuse to smile, even if that refusal is simply due to being self-conscious about a less than perfect smile? A smile, or lack thereof, sends a very distinct message to other people. Fortunately, Richmond Smile Center is able to restore beautiful smiles even in extreme cases, allowing our patients to send the right message."

About Richmond Smile Center and Charles Martin DDS

Founded by Charles Martin DDS, the Richmond Smile Center is a technologically advanced dental practice that delivers dental implant surgery, dental sedation, cosmetic dentistry and complex care dentistry. The Center is renowned for its smile makeovers. Dr. Martin, a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry, is a Master in the Academy of General Dentistry, Diplomate of the American Board of Oral Implantology/Implant Dentistry and has taught at Georgetown University and the Medical College of Virginia. He is the author of Are Your Teeth Killing You?; Don't Sugar Coat It: The Story of Diabetes and Dentistry; and This Won't Hurt a Bit! The Smart Consumer's Guide to Dentistry. Learn more at http://www.cosmeticdentistryrichmond.com.