Cheryl Cole really DOES have the perfect face... and here's the scientific proof
Last updated at 11:01 AM on 16th November 2011
- 'Perfect' thanks to high cheekbones and slender chin
- Being able to 'smile with your eyes' is crucial
- Simply KNOWING your smile 'works' can help
Cheryl Cole's smile fits the 'formula' for a perfect smile - a mix of colour, tooth shape and, most importantly, sincerity
Human smiles developed from animals' aggressive baring of teeth - but these days, a beautiful smile such as Cheryl Cole's is a magnetic, mesmerising communication designed to make us smile in return.
Why this works for some people - and Ms Cole in particular - has been a mystery.
Dr David Holmes at Manchester Metropolitan University's psychology department conducted research into why some smiles are like grimaces - or indeed an animal baring its teeth - and why some, like Ms Cole's are so attractive they can make people stars.
Face shape has a lot to do with it - as does smile 'technique'.
But simply knowing that you have a nice smile can strengthen the dazzling effect that stars such as Ms Cole can summon on the catwalk.
Dr Holmes found that different muscles are used - particularly around the eyes - in sincere smiles, and these help to create a smile people find attractive. People who can 'smile with their eyes' are better smilers - but it's a difficult effect to control.
But if this is framed in a face with high cheekbones and slender chin - enabling a wider smile, like Ms Cole's - the smile is seen as more attractive still.
Dr Holmes' team devised a formula for the 'perfect' smile, combining confidence, face shape, lip and tooth health for a dazzling effect that can win people over - and even help with career success.
Cheryl Cole's smile combines confidence, bone structure, lips and teeth to create its impact
If the teeth and lips are in good condition, with a fleshy 'cupid's bow', people respond even more strongly.
'A major factor is how well you can produce a full 'arch-bow' smile,' says Dr Holmes, 'A wide, deep crescent revealing teeth but not gums, and reaching up to the eyes. Cartoonists are very familiar with this shape, and can produce larger than life on their characters.'
Cheryl Cole's smile makes the most of her high cheekbones and 'cupid's bow' - but the fact that she knows her smile is one of her best features enables her to smile 'more strongly'
There is a sort of feedback effect as well - people who know that their smile has a positive effect on others produce 'strong' smiles, whereas those who don't produce 'weak' smiles.
Former X Factor and Girls Aloud star Cheryl Cole is one of the best examples of how to use the perfect smile to your benefit, according to the report.
Cheryl Cole's ability to 'smile with her eyes' helped to propel her to her status as the nation's sweetheart, the scientists said
WHAT MAKES THE PERFECT SMILE ? THE FORMULA
Face shape (F): Having feature such as high cheekbones, large eye areas and a slender chin help raise and distinguish the smile
Condition of Teeth (T): Alignment, dental health and the golden proportion of teeth are the focus of a smile. Debris here is a serious error
Teeth colour (W): How well the whiteness of your teeth balances with your eyes
Smile Confidence (S): A confident (often well-practiced) smile is bigger, wider and more engaging
Lip Condition & Colour (L): Cupid bow pink lips are the aims here
Arch Bow (A): The ability of you and your face to produce a wide deep crescent up to your eyes
The formula is: A x ((S + T + F) - (W + L)) - with each element scored out of five.
The most important factor for a 'perfect smile' is an 'arch bow' shaped face - but the rest of us can make up by looking after our teeth and lips, and simply by being confident.
She balances all the fundamental smile components in her 'girl-next-door' grin and, as a result, has seen her smile help propel her to popularity and stardom, the scientists claim.
'Smiling will certainly add considerably to our social life, even our romantic experiences,' says Dr Holmes.
'Smiling not only makes us feel good, it is also fundamental to human attachment, helps strengthen relationships and bonds people together,' he wrote in research funded by Blanx toothpaste.
The perfect smile has never been more important as we approach the Christmas party season where, according to experts, our personal photographs will be viewed by an extended network of 97,000 people, because of social networks ! like Fac ebook, Twitter and Flickr.
A bad smile doesn't just send out the wrong message to a handful of family, friends and social acquaintances any longer.
In the era of social media, our smiles are viewable by thousand upon thousand of friends of friends, many of whom could become future employers, office-mates or even lovers.
Even if you don't have a 'perfect' face shape, there are still steps one can take.
