Smile
IT’S NOT SILLY - IT’S SCIENCE
Looking to be a bit happier? Check out the science behind a simple smile.
happiness, relationships, confidence, anxious
Want to be happier? Try smiling more.
How does it work?
Smiling creates a biofeedback loop in the body spurring the brain to release dopamine and serotonin. (Dopamine increases our feelings of happiness. Serotonin release is associated with reduced stress.)
Our internal ‘software’ uses the facial expression of others to tell us how to behave and feel. This means smiling is contagious – creating a social feedback loop!
It’s real.
The most common response to this science is that “fake” happiness isn’t as good as “real” happiness.
Here’s Harvard professor and author of Stumbling on Happiness, Daniel Gilbert’s response from a 2012 interview in the Harvard Business Review:
“Let’s be careful with terms. Nylon is real; it’s just not natural. Synthetic happiness is perfectly real; it’s just man-made. Synthetic happiness is what we produce when we don’t get what we want, and natural happiness is what we experience when we do. They have different origins, but they are not necessarily different in terms of how they feel. One is not obviously better than the other.”
So, when in doubt, go ahead and smile. : )
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