What People Notice First About Your Smile and Why It Matters

A woman with a bright, confident smile looking happily at her friend in a cozy indoor setting.

People make up their minds about a smile in about 200 milliseconds. That is not just a figure of speech; research from Princeton University found that first impressions form within the first fraction of a second of seeing someone’s face. By the time a handshake is finished, the assessment is already locked in.