By Kellie McClain
It is common knowledge that universal happiness is almost always accompanied by the physical feature of smiling, but many recent studies have been done that show smiling and happiness can work both ways. In other words, that the act of smiling alone can have a positive effect on our mood, even if the smile is fake or forced. This is caused by the positioning of the facial bones located around the mouth that contain several large air pockets known as sinuses. The position in which these bones are placed when our faces contract a smile allows for more blood flow into the prefrontal cortex which causes an increase in the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that controls the reward and pleasure center in our brains.
One experiment done to prove this theory is one where participants watched cartoons while holding a pencil the their mouths just with their teeth for one trial and just with their lips for another. Participants reported enjoying the same cartoons much more while holding the pencil with their teeth (contracting a smile) versus holding it with just their lips (contracting a frown). Another study was done in which subjects repeated vowel sounds that resulted in different facial expressions. This study yielded identical results where participants felt happier repeated the letter e (contracting a smile) than when they repeated letter such as u that resulted in a frown. These studies also suggest that forcing a smile could not only result in happiness, but increase social connections, decrease blood pressure, and even boost your immune system.
No comments:
Post a Comment