The Science of Smiling Is Subtle In Politics

Smile Power in Politics: What We Can Learn From Candidate Grins

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It’s election year! And politicians have been showboating their smiles all across the country.

Politicians have power—but what about their pearly whites?

Smiles Can Influence Elections

In a crowded political field, votes of­ten come down to sub­lim­in­al qual­it­ies.

Candidates who smile in campaign photos have improved polling outcomes, compared to those who don’t smile, according to a recent political psychology study.

It’s a fine line for tough-as-nails politicians, as smiling is a submissive behavior. In fact, smiling revealed the loser of martial arts matches.

These findings would have voters believe that smiling is an indication that a competitor is outmatched by an opponent.

As contentious as politics is, it’s not an MMA fight. So don’t count on Marco Rubio pulling a Ronda Rousey anytime soon.

The Science of Smiling Is Subtle In Politics

For voters, a smile is a glimpse in­to a can­did­ate’s per­son­al­ity.

A speech is scrip­ted—smiles are not.

If a candidate shows a sub­dued smile in the face of crowd cheers, it may in­dic­ate bash­ful­ness. People who smile as their op­pon­ents are at­tacked can sig­nal vin­dict­ive­ness.

It’s not that one smile is bet­ter than an­oth­er, it’s that the smile should be consist­ent with the message.

If a can­did­ate is speak­ing about hope for the fu­ture, his or her smile should appear happy, not staged or con­temp­tu­ous.

So, no matter which candidate you vote for, take a look at his or her smile.

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This post was first published on the Delta Dental of Arizona dental health blog. We thought it timely to share it here.