It was hard to miss a story titled “Straighter teeth won’t guarantee happiness” if only because the premise sounded pretty strange. Sure enough, scientists in England have spent 20-years studying a variety of aspects of the lives of people who have gotten braces. Unfortunately, having braces and straight teeth does not mean that life will be any happier than if you remained with your natural smile.
When they were questioned as adults, none of them regretted having had their teeth improved and most were satisfied with the way they looked. But there was no difference in their psychological wellbeing when compared to other people who have never had braces.
Whereas I admire the attempt to find a link between teeth and happiness, the results are not surprising, and it is amazing that this was even examined in the first place.
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3 Comments to
“Straight Teeth & Happiness”
Just because a “scientific study” was done ONE TIME does not make it fact. I could tell you of countless times I have heard people say they rank a good smile right up there with physical fitness as an element of attraction. I have also heard people who had crooked teeth talk about that alot, sometimes even more than their physique! A clean, straight, healthy smile is a major issue in looking for a potential mate, it shows that they take care of themselves and care about health and cleanliness, just as much as fit people who exercise to take care of their bodies. Was there anything in the study that talked about self presentation? No. Did they consider the fact that most of those people gave false answers? No. There are giant holes and 20 years wasted on what could have been a great help in self-esteem. You see more ads on TV for dental hygiene than you do for weight loss!! Why are every movie star’s teeth in Hollywood bonded? They should have been using the time and effort to research how to help people build their self esteem or more ways to give them a healthy smile and a new confidence than 20 years of observing people who lied about their dental “esteem”
I think you have to take a look at British history and culture to maybe understand why researchers undertook this in the first place. It makes more sense when taken in that context, just as it would make sense if you read a Japanese study that showed people who spoke up for themselves more often got what they wanted than those who didn’t (given the Japanese culture of modesty).
Research is conducted all the time on the seemingly “obvious,” because what we believe to be true simply isn’t always. And many people even in this country believe that “clean” or “straight” teeth make them a more attractive, and therefore, happier, person.
I agree John, and I definitely understand the theory, as big a stretch as it is. The most interesting part to me was that it was conducted as part of a 20yr longitudinal study, which consumes massive amount of resources, when the same result could have been found much quicker and with lower cost. But the cultural relevance is important.
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Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 30 Jan 2007
