Invest in a Duchenne Smile
Your social profile photos need to be authentic...
But...
...unfortunately, there is an epidemic running rampant on social media.
It’s something that many people even aren’t aware that they’re taking part.
It needs to be stopped before it overruns the entire social media landscape.
What the hell am I talking about?
I’m talking about fake smiles in your profile photos, folks.
It's not just in profile pictures, Im seeing it everywhere — social posts, websites, banners and digital ads.
It may seem like a minor transgression, but subconsciously, posting your image with a fake smile has negative consequences
Remember - your portraits, specifically your profile photos, are your introduction to potential clients and followers, and if your expression is disingenuous, that’s not setting the right tone from the start.
It might lead some to wonder that if your expression is put on and manufactured, what else about your brand and business is put on and manufactured.
And no, I don’t blame the people in front of the camera - the unassuming victims of this horrendous crime against good and decent lifestyle portrait photography.
I blame the people behind the camera - the ones who know better than to peddle these cheap and quick knockoffs of authentic expressions.
So, what’s the solution?
Well, I’d say scrap the crap and opt for profile photos with a Duchenne smile on your face.
A what?
From Wikipedia: A Duchenne smile involves contraction of both the zygomatic major muscle (which raises the corners of the mouth) and the orbicularis oculi muscle (which raises the cheeks and forms crow's feet around the eyes).
Long story short - you’re smiling with your eyes, which makes for a much more authentic display of joyful aspects of your personality.
See how warm and inviting these expressions are because of the Duchenne smile?
When people view an image, they start at the eyes - and if the subject photographed has eyes that are engaged, relaxed and “smiling” like the above examples, the viewer is immediately drawn in.
And, that leads them to want to learn more about the person in the photograph, which is what we all want as thought leaders and entrepreneurs - curious folks who become followers who become clients, :)
Do your current profile photos exhibit a Duchenne smile?
PS - For those of you who aren’t in the know, I mail out these blogs 3x a week, and lemme tell you, they’re a real party, so, if you’d like to get in on this, sign up for it here and I’ll throw in a free gift for you...because I care, :)