Does forcing yourself to smile improve your mood?

PROBLEM: Happiness makes us smile, but can smiling make us happy? Even if it's a fake smile, because your mouth is propped open by chopsticks? read more

Pasting a smile on your face, even if you are consciously faking it, can improve your mood and reduce stress. Some of the earliest work in the area was done by psychologist and "facial coding" expert Paul Ekman. While experimenting with negative facial expressions like frowns, Ekman found that his mood seemed to be altered. read more

RESULTS: The participants who were instructed to smile recovered from the stressful activities with lower hear rates than participants who held neutral expressions, and those with Duchenne smiles were the most relaxed of all, with the most positive affect. read more