Can you judge a novel by its cover or title? Yes, absolutely! We all do it. In the age of social media, image is everything. It is pointless to be moralists if we are only concerned with polishing our social networks’ profile pictures.
Have you ever wondered how developers are able to create so many efficient apps for improving pictures? You may have noticed that Facebook has a lot of pictures with increasingly perfect grammar, but a lot of them are spelled incorrectly. Images are more important than words today, and we need to exploit this fact.
You can be more persuasive if you use your photos to stir up the right emotions in others. People are more interested in our Facebook and WhatsApp profile photos than they are in person. Give the right image to others, especially if they are professionals and you use WhatsApp for business.
How To Choose The Best Profile Picture
The profile picture you choose will give others a good idea about who you are. This is especially true for people you have never met. Imagine the last time that you received a person’s phone number for a work deal, an internet sale, or a romantic date prior to meeting. What did you do then? You saw the profile picture of the person on WhatsApp and formed an opinion about them. “He is the classic Playboy”, he doesn’t appear to be a trustworthy person, he didn’t just get out of jail, “What a girl!” etc. This is mainly due to how you look in the photo. You don’t believe me? Do you believe that a simple smile is all it takes? I’ll show you that each smile conveys an entirely different impression of us, especially in the case of a first impression.
You never get another chance to make a good first impression.
Public figures and politicians hire consultants to carefully select the images to be published in line with the image they wish to portray. You should wear the perfect smiling face on your WhatsApp profile photo to reflect the type of person that you are or want to be, or your profession if you’re using it for work purposes. Let’s try out some different smiles to help us choose the best profile picture for you.
There are many types of smiles available.
1. Open Mouth
This is the most prominent form of smiling. This smile is characterized by a lower jaw that is lowered, creating the illusion of a happy person. This is the type of smile that people use to convey happiness. Politicians use it to get more votes. Bill Clinton’s media campaign during the presidential election is a good example.
Comic actors, such as Roberto Benigni, also use this style of laughter as a weapon in their photos.
Open Mouth Smile is a great way to show that you’re friendly, humorous, and cheerful.
2. Tight Lips
The lips are tightened in this way to form a straight, rounded line. Teeth are hidden. This is the smile that women use when they don’t want to reveal a secret or are unwilling to speak their mind.
This expression is often seen in business magazines such as Forbes. Successful managers are shown with a tight-lipped grin, as if to say “I know the secret to success. Try to guess.”
This is the face that you should use when using WhatsApp for business. If you’re a dentist or doctor who uses WhatsApp to keep in touch with patients, then an open-mouthed smile would be inappropriate, because it will make you look unprofessional and unreliable. If you’re a lawyer or a business advisor, the same applies. The tight-lipped approach is more appropriate, as it conveys reliability and security.
3. Look at the sideways looking-up
This is the case when the eyes are pointed up and the head is slightly turned sideways. This will make you appear younger, more attractive and happier. This expression can be viewed as a hybrid: on one hand it welcomes the person, while on the other the sideways turned head makes them appear evasive.
Men can’t resist this smile because it brings out in them an innate sense of “giving protection”. This expression is partly a result of the success of Lady Diana. It evokes in men a desire to protect, and in women – if they are like her – a desire to emulate her. It is not by accident that this is one of the most common weapons women use to seduce males.
Women in showbusiness often use their “sweetness”, to attract the audience. Audrey Hepburn, for example, did this throughout her career.
It is a great weapon for women to use, even though it’s not for men.
This is the best profile photo you can choose if you want to win over the heart of Prince Charming.
4. Asymmetric
This expression is used to convey irony and sarcasm. This is the look that politicians use when discussing opposition issues or people.
You can use this expression as your profile picture if you are a politician and the opposition does something wrong. If you are a journalist who covers consumer and political issues, then this is the kind of expression that would be appropriate for your profile picture.
5. Fake
A forced smile looks artificial and unnatural. A natural smile, as described by Guillaume Duchenne (18th century), uses both the muscles in the mouth and the eyes. A fake smile will only activate the muscles in the mouth. This will result in an unnatural look between the eyes and mouth. A fake smile will make you appear emotionless and aseptic.
Avoid a profile photo with a forced grin as this would be detrimental in any situation.
6. Genuine
A genuine smile is exactly the opposite of a fake one. Both the voluntary and involuntary muscle are being used to activate both the bottom and top half of the face. The smile is a way to convey happiness and joyousness to your interlocutor.
Experts in communication use this smile a lot, as it creates a positive emotion that encourages the other person to reciprocate. You will unconsciously smile if you look at a photo of someone who is smiling in a sincere way.
If you are using WhatsApp privately, I recommend that you smile when you take your profile photo. You will not be able to resist and you will make everyone smile.
7. Half Smile
This is one the most mysterious smiles, and it is easy to misinterpret. It may appear to be an expression or asymmetrical smile, but it’s actually an invitation for more interaction. Women use it when they want a man they are interested in to progress in their interaction. They say “I like the situation I am in, but it will take a lot of effort to win me over.”
This is one of the most sexiest things a woman can say. It’s not a good idea for business, but it can be used to seduce a man.