Why does smiling make you feel happy

Based on a large review, they concluded that smiling does have a small, but definite impact on your mood. The theory that smiling makes us happier is commonly credited to Charles Darwin, who formulated the facial feedback theory. In this theory, the brain only partly triggers an expression in response to a feeling. Thus, when we experience a positive emotion, it triggers a smile. We must be happy. The theory has been favored among psychologists and biologists for more than a century, and, until , we thought the evidence supported it.

However, the data from these teams had some flaws, mostly that the research groups in each case were too small to conclusively prove or disprove the theory. They identified studies that fit their criteria. They compiled all these studies to assemble a much larger pool of data, and when they added it all together, they found that smiling did lead to a positive influence on your mood.

Not only that: they could tell us how the smile effect worked. A smile is also something that is easy to pass on. Much like yawning, smiling is contagious. We should make a conscious effort not to take smiles from our loved ones for granted, and to keep in mind that across the globe a smile can mean so much more than a simple facial movement.

It turns out there's solid evidence that smiling can do us a world of good. I tried smiling when I tensed up in traffic yesterday, and again during a rigorous workout and then today when I woke up with a headache. But I have to admit, instantly I was calmer, less upset and, maybe just ever so slightly for a second, smiling made me feel happy.

Want more tips like these? Sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram. IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Share this —. Psychologists find smiling really can make people happier. Retrieved November 12, from www. The study shows the ability, among non-relatives, to both decipher facial expressions and to be attuned This has been revealed in a new study by psychologists. The researchers had participants But do we interpret them correctly?

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