Thank you. Wooden ships on the water very free and easy On an anecdotal note, one trick I learned a couple years ago from a good friend is to deliberately put a smile on my face when approaching someone I don’t know or with whom the conversation could potentially be contentious (like a sales clerk when needing to request a special favor). According to Dr. Mark Stibich, smiling: Duchenne smiles are known as authentic smiles because they consistently co-occur with positive emotions. Taking Positive Action in the Midst of Negativity. Thank you so much!!!!!! With this in mind, what change do you want trigger in the world? Your email address will not be published. Looking for a Positive Psychology Course Near You? Smiling is linked to a bunch of benefits for a few reasons. @Emiliya, This article has really helped my research. Sail away where the mornin sun goes high Don’t fight it; embrace it. (Over 50 courses listed so far in America and the world! A very well presented compilation of information! [1]  The researchers actually took advantage of an existing study that began in the late 50s and continues today. Too bad I’m not a psychology researcher! This pattern has shown up several times in some remarkable studies.One study collecte… That is, emotions are contagious. We are leaving The part of your brain that is responsible for your controlling the facial expression of smiling is an unconscious automatic response area. The kind of person who smiles in their yearbook photo may just be the kind of person who is equipped to handle adversity and to seek out meaningful relationships. For my notebook: “Smiling Fighters” is a great band name. Results showed that participants consistently mimicked each of those expressions. I have one child in class who often has angry outbursts. All rights reserved. I’ve just started a new teaching position serving students with special needs. This pattern has shown up several times in some remarkable studies. Thank you for all the effort you put into this piece. I am aware of lots of references to smiling and the release of serotonin, endorphins and dopamine, with a decrease in adrenalin and stress chemistry but am unable to locate the actual studies that support the claims. Silver people on the shoreline leave us be People are drawn more to people who seem happy, even after controlling for perceived physical attractiveness. So smiles are contagious after all. I can see by your coat my friend that you’re from the other side As photos from my adolescent years will attest, I’ve never been one for smiling on cue. How To Tell If a Guy Likes You: 11 Proven Signs He Is Into You! Thanks for pointing out these two studies. So if you are worried about the impression you will make on a job recruiter or a blind date, then make sure to smile a lot. At the time the yearbook photos were taken–when the women were about 21 years old–the more they were smiling in their photo, the more they said they felt a sense of well-being. 58,2,342-353. These are smiles that engage the muscle around your eyes. The more you smile, the easier it gets. Books in the Positive Psychology News series. Did you ever have a…, A smile may seem like such a simple thing that we tend to overlook its…. Not only will you lift their spirits you will make them want to smile too, setting off a positive chain reaction. They just don’t necessarily mean that smiling is a magic pill to make amazing things happen. It lifts our mood, as well as the moods of those around us. Haven’t got sick once Smiling makes others feel welcome, special, and appreciated. There was a story about a Japanese company in the documentary The Human Face (BBC with John Cleese). That is, maybe the smiling itself isn’t important, but smiling is just a sign of something deeper. Very free and easy (2004). It has not been my automatic inclination, but since my conversation with my friend I try to remember to deliberately do it as often as I can. I remembered how you talked about Positive Psychology when we met at Kripalu last spring and googled it recently. (pp. Be proactive and take care of your smile every day. From teeth whitening to veneers to braces, there are a lot of options to choose from. Another study showed that students who smiled more during a speech were better able to cope with negative emotions and showed less distress over a 2-year period. Smiling has also been associated with personal psychological benefits, too. This study has given surveys to a sample of women who were enrolled at Mills College in the late 50s and have continued to keep in touch with these women over their whole lives. I’ve gotten better at expressing the smile within, but in too many photos, I look like I’m having only the smallest amount of fun. It shows your confidence and determination in yourself which translates to a … NeuroImage. Some of these studies compare authentic smiles to forced smiles. Disable Adblocking for this site to view them. I never knew about the “Duchenne Smile” but now I do know about it Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful information with us. Great article Andy! Paperback edition coming soon. (Test your smile-detecting abilities here.). We already know from tons of studies that happier people experience a ton of positive outcomes. jQuery("#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3").tooltip({ tip: "#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3", tipClass: "footnote_tooltip", effect: "fade", fadeOutSpeed: 100, predelay: 400, position: "top right", relative: true, offset: [0, 10] }); as more physically dominant than non-smiling fighters…even though they had no idea that the study had anything to do with smiling. Emiliya self-images, Lead her far from this foreign land Through a fascinating process called mimicry. 21, 1484-1496. Emotional expression and brain physiology: II. The benefits of smiling are really circular in nature with the positive effects bouncing off you to your co-worker and then being returned to you two-fold. When used for good, this weapon can exert a significant amount of health and happiness on the smiler and recipient. Required fields are marked *. The best part about it though is that they will then go on and smile at other people spreading the love throughout the day. Another study contacted university alumni (men and women) and got responses from nearly 500 former students. You don’t need us Easy you know the way it’s supposed to be Just because you may not have been born with a beautiful smile doesn’t mean you are doomed to never reap the benefits of smiling. These effects are also pretty subtle. Zygomaticus major muscle from Wikimedia http://bigbitesizedideas.com/. Here’s the unique research to back it… Employee Login. It can boost your…, Did you ever really notice the power of a smile?