Feeling overwhelmed? Show a smile!

When you feel a little down, smiling may be the last thing on your mind. But can a fake smile actually make you feel better? This question has been part of a longstanding debate among psychology researchers: Can facial stretching influence our emotions? This idea is known as the face feedback hypothesis. Now scientists have found compelling evidence that this is the case.

The global team of researchers, led by a scientist at Stanford University in California, collected data from 3,878 participants in 19 countries. A third of the participants were asked to hold a pen in their mouths, a third were asked to mimic facial expressions by displaying photos of actors smiling, and the last third were instructed to move the corners of their lips towards their ears and lift their cheeks using only facial muscles.

In each group, half of the participants completed the task by looking at hilarious images of puppies, kittens, flowers, and fireworks, while the other half simply saw a blank screen. They also saw these same types of images when they were asked to use a neutral facial expression.

To hide the purpose of the test, the researchers asked the participants to solve simple math problems. After each task, participants rated how happy they felt.

Analysis of the data revealed a marked increase in happiness in participants who imitated facial expressions in photographs or pulled their mouths up to their ears.

Although the effect was relatively small, it was similar to the increase in happiness participants experienced when looking at cheerful images with neutral facial expressions. However, according to the researchers, participants using the pen-in-mouth technique had no change in mood.

Lead researcher Nicholas Coles: “We experience emotions so often that we forget to be amazed at how incredible this ability is. But without emotion there is no pain, no pleasure, no suffering, no bliss, no tragedy, no glory in the human condition. This study tells us something fundamentally important about how emotional experience works. A stretched smile can make people feel happy, and a furrowed forehead can make people angry.”

In a paper published in the journal Nature Human Behavior, the team stated, “Data from 3,878 participants from 19 countries showed that facial expressions and voluntary facial expressions can both enhance and initiate feelings of happiness.”

Christina DENYSYUK

Photo: Shutterstock / G-Stock Studio