Smiling, even if forced, has a positive effect on mood. Check out the new Stanford University study
Researchers from Stanford University in the United States have shown something that was already widespread in humanity. They managed to demonstrate that the act of smiling has a positive effect on our mood, improving emotional well-being.
I study
The article published in the journal Nature Human Behavior explains that several tests were applied before reaching this conclusion. On the one hand, there were experiments in which the participants were aware that they were smiling. This is because they looked at photos of smiling people and mimicked the expressions. But he also tried to find out if an unconscious muscle movement typical of a smile has emotional effects.
In the latter case, a classic experiment was used which over the years has obtained controversial results. Volunteers unknowingly force a smile by biting a pencil or make a sad face trying to hold it with their lips, a gesture that forces them to frown.
After analyzing data from 3,878 participants in 19 countries, the authors, led by Nicholas Coles, found that both those who imitated smiles in photos and those who forced them on their own showed some increase in their happiness. However, those who smiled with the help of the pencil did not feel this emotion. “This study shows that to have this effect of making us happy because we generate a smile, we must be attentive to the smile,” explains José Antonio Hinojosa, professor at the Complutense University of Madrid and co-author of the study.
the importance of smiling
“What we have seen is that smiling slightly improves mood and increases the level of happiness. But this is a similar effect to seeing pictures of puppies or babies,” says Pedro Montoro, a researcher at the National University of Distance Education. (UNED), in Madrid, which also signs the survey. “The scale we use goes from one to seven and the values are just over three. It’s a statistically significant increase, but it seems to most authors that this wouldn’t be useful as a therapy,” he continues.
Coles says this type of study is important in understanding the nature of something as essential to humanity as emotions. However, this knowledge is still in the early stages.
Source: O Globo newspaper.
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Benjamin Smith is a fashion journalist and author at Gossipify, known for his coverage of the latest fashion trends and industry insights. He writes about clothing, shoes, accessories, and runway shows, providing in-depth analysis and unique perspectives. He’s respected for his ability to spot emerging designers and trends, and for providing practical fashion advice to readers.
