The science of smiling
January 16, 2009 by Editor
Before you put on a frown, make absolutely sure there are no smiles available. –Jim Beggs
The Science of Smiling:
“My personal trainer sometimes gives me an odd piece of advice during workouts: “Relax your face.” For a long time, I found this advice confusing. Isn’t physical exertion supposed to be expressed in grimaces? I thought of the face as a pressure-relief valve that helps emit the pain the body is experiencing. But the trainer suggested I think about it the other way around — that controlling the face can help control the mind. I was skeptical until I read a paper in the January issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. That paper led me to other papers, and it turns out the trainer is right: The face isn’t a pressure-relief valve. It is more like a thermostat. When you turn down the setting, the machinery inside has to do less work.” This fascinating article from Time magazine offers more insights into the science of smiling. [Read more]
Be The Change:
Practice smiling when you catch yourself in a tense or anxious frame of mind and notice what effect it has on you.
-From DailyGood.org
See the research from Frankfort University on false smiling for a contradictory view. Professor Dieter Zapf says that faking a smile for too many hours can suppress your immune system and lead to anger and depression.
See here:
http://www.e4s.co.uk/news/articles/view/711/job-news-and-information/part-time/False-happiness-causes-illness-says-expert