I spent £4,000 on my smile — and yes, a good smile beats Botox
I am vainly proud of my newly straight, newly whitened teeth. But they have come at a cost: about four grand, to be precise. Which is why I was ruefully amused to learn that smiling is considered a cheap alternative to Botox when it comes to looking more attractive.
A recent study found that the perceived attractiveness of people receiving Botox or dermal fillers increased, on average, by just 0.07 points on a seven-point scale — so if you were rated a 4 out of 7 before it, you'd be a 4.07 afterwards. Smiling, by contrast, improves attractiveness by 0.4 points on the same scale — an effect nearly six times greater than Botox.
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Name and identifying details changed to protect client confidentiality Carly Dober is a psychologist living and working in Naarm/Melbourne In Australia, support is available at Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, Lifeline on 13 11 14, and at MensLine on 1300 789 978. In the UK, the charity Mind is available on 0300 123 3393 and Childline on 0800 1111. In the US, call or text Mental Health America at 988 or chat
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