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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – If you have a difficult day, a way to help turn that frown can be as simple as that. A new study reveals that a smile makes people happier.
Researchers from the University of Tennessee and Texas A & M say that in fact, many of our emotions can be manipulated to some degree by our facial features. The effect, they note, is not necessarily lasting, or even profoundly powerful, but it is significant enough to show a correlation between our emotions and the way we behave.
"It seems that the physical act of smiling can make us happy, that we can feel sad and that we can feel angry" posted by the university.
Coles' conclusion follows a meta-analysis of 138 studies conducted over the last 50 years. The research included data on more than 11,000 participants from around the world. Just two years ago, a project involving 17 teams of researchers failed to prove a prominent experience that linked the smile to happiness. Coles says psychologists have debated this theory for more than a century, but he believes that his team's research is the strongest proof so far.
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"Some studies have not found evidence that facial expressions can influence emotional feelings," says Coles in a statement. "But we can not focus on the results of a single study. Psychologists have been testing this idea since the early 1970s, so we wanted to look at all the evidence. "
In the end, Coles found that there was a clear and remarkable connection between our facial expressions and our feelings, even though it was small. The effect may vary from person to person and may depend on circumstances and context. He does not suggest that smiling more will cure a depressed person, but it may help to improve the standard of living.
"Many people think you can smile at happiness, but these effects do not seem really powerful," said Coles. "Facial expressions like a smile can sometimes affect our emotions, but not always."
Yet, Coles notes that the results are interesting because they bring more light to the way the mind and body work together to form emotions.
"Every day we study these facial feedback effects, we get a little closer to understanding how emotions work and that's a real reason to smile," he says.
The study is published in the journal Psychological bulletin.
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