Stanford University researchers found that people who mimicked smiling photographs or pulled their mouths towards their ears felt a “noticeable increase in happiness.”
"Knowing that we can somewhat 'fake it 'til we make it', is definitely a reassuring proposal," said lead author Dr. Marmolejo-Ramos."The concept of being able to influence our emotions by simply moving our facial muscles has long been debated by researchers, ...," Dr. Marmolejo-Ramos said in a press release.The “pen” technique did not, likely “because the simulated mouth shape wasn’t as representative of a smile as we thought,” Marmolejo-Ramo said.
“[It] provides a compelling argument that human emotions are linked to muscle movements,” Marmolejo-Ramos said. “While individuals naturally respond differently to adverse situations, it’s encouraging to think that we can sway our emotions by simply putting on a happy face,” he said.