“Just smile” is the most common photo advice in the world. It’s not bad advice, but we believed there was more to it.
To find out, Photofeeler analyzed millions of profile photos across dating, social, and business tests. We compared open-mouth smiles, closed-mouth smiles, and non-smiling expressions to see how each one affected traits such as attractiveness, trustworthiness, confidence, likability, and competence.
Here’s how we categorized each expression:
Now that we’ve defined the smile types, it’s time to dive into the nitty-gritty of the findings.
Many people don’t smile in their photos, which usually lowers their scores.
Plenty of people skip the smile when taking a profile photo. Unfortunately, the serious look doesn’t always deliver the strong impression they expect.
In 2026, 34% of business photos, 53% of social photos, 54% of male dating photos, and 35% of female dating photos had no smile.
Across nearly every category, non-smiling photos tended to underperform, especially on dating tests.
One caveat: this is correlational. We can’t rule out that people who smile are just better photo-takers. But the effect shows up in every trait and every category, and the consistent pattern is hard to dismiss.
Smiling made male dating photos appear more Attractive, Smart, and Trustworthy.
For men’s dating photos, smiling always helped.
Open-mouth smiles performed best overall, with the largest improvement on the Trustworthy score: a substantial +2.55-point increase over non-smiling photos on Photofeeler’s 1 to 10 scale.
Closed-mouth smiles also improved scores, outperforming non-smiling photos across all traits. Once again, the greatest impact was trustworthiness, which increased by +1.86 points.
Attractiveness was the trait least impacted by smiling, with less than half a point gained. It still matters, of course. But on a dating app, trust is part of what gets someone from “maybe” to “I’d meet this person.” You can look attractive in a photo and still make someone hesitate; but a genuine smile helps close that gap.
For women, a bigger smile didn’t always mean a better score.
Women’s dating photos told a slightly different story.
Open-mouth smiles were strongest for trustworthiness, +1.61 points higher than non-smiling, and a mere +0.16 points higher than closed-mouth smiles.
Surprisingly, closed-mouth smiles slightly outperformed open-mouth smiles in terms of attractiveness.
The bigger the smile, the higher the confidence.
Photofeeler evaluates social photos for confidence, authenticity, and fun. This is where bigger smiles really had their moment.
Compared with non-smiling photos, open-mouth smiles scored:
+1.60 points higher for confidence
+1.99 points higher for authenticity
+2.24 points higher for fun
In other words, people seem to associate big smiles not just with friendliness, but with confidence and authenticity, too!
So if you’re debating whether to flash a smile in a social photo, the data says, “go for it!” Looking like you’re genuinely enjoying yourself can be far more compelling than trying too hard to look cool.
Business photos do not need to look stern to look professional.
Many people still believe that a serious business photo makes one appear more competent, yet Photofeeler’s data does not support that idea.
The biggest benefit of smiling was in likability, with open-mouth smiles scoring +2.48 points higher than non-smiling business photos.
But open-mouth smiles also scored +1.13 points higher for competence and +1.16 points higher for influence.
This is interesting because people often worry that smiling will make them seem less serious or less professional. In this data, the opposite is true and smiling did not hurt professional impressions; it improved them.
So show those pearly whites on LinkedIn, but test your top pics before you upload to find the high-scorer.
Older daters smile more.
Dating photo testers under 25 are the least likely to open-mouth smile in photos. As daters age, they smile more!
Maybe younger daters are aiming for cool, mysterious, or effortlessly unbothered. But based on these results, they may be underusing one of the simplest ways to appear more trustworthy and attractive.
So, open-mouth smile or closed-mouth smile?
All GIFs aside, open-mouth smiles are strongest when warmth matters. They tend to help people look more trustworthy, authentic, fun, likable, and approachable.
Closed-mouth smiles are more subtle. They still improve impressions compared with non-smiling photos, but they often feel more controlled or polished, making them a strong option for your LinkedIn headshot.
It’s about matching the expression to the context.
For dating photos, you might want a mix: one warm, open-smile photo that builds trust, and another photo with a softer expression, like a closed-mouth smile or natural candid that shows a different side of you.
For business photos, either closed- or open-mouth smiles can work well, but open-mouth smiles appear especially strong for likability.
How can you use these findings to your advantage?
If you want to look fun, friendly, authentic, or approachable, use an open-mouth smile.
If you want to look polished but still warm, try a closed-mouth smile.
If you choose not to smile, be more careful. Serious photos can work, but they rarely outperform smiling photos for either dating or business use.
When in doubt, smiling remains one of the most reliable ways to make a stronger first impression. Experiment with different expressions in your next Photofeeler test and let real people (not your bathroom mirror) help you choose the winner.
