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Natural Awakenings Richmond

Put On a Happy Face

feeling happier happy hacks

Dean Drobot/ShutterStock.com

According to a new study led by Stanford University and published in Nature Human Behaviour, positioning our facial muscles into a smile can actually cause us to feel happier. Researchers collected data from 3,878 participants across 19 countries, using three techniques:


  1. Mimicking facial expressions of actors seen in photos
  2. Moving the corners of their mouths to their cheeks using only their facial muscles
  3. Using the “pen-in-mouth” technique, which moves facial muscles in a simulated smile shape


The study found a noticeable increase in feelings of happiness from people that mimicked smiling photographs or pulled their mouth toward their ears.