Can You Smile Upgrading Your Mood?

Illustration (Daniel Xavier/Pexels)

JAKARTA - According to the hypothesis of facial feedback, the way the face moves can affect feelings. The facial expression not only expresses emotions, but also provides feedback to the brain, which affects emotions.

New global collaboration led by researchers at Stanford University has shown that fake or artificial smiles can make people feel happier. The research was published in Nature Human Behavior.

According to the lead author of the study, Dr. Nicholas Coles, a research scientist at Stanford University. There are two theories behind why a fake smile can help make someone happier.

In an interview reported by Medical News Today on Wednesday, November 20, Dr. Coles explained:

The classic view is that facial feedback activates scalar biologically built-in (for example in the brain) which causes an emotional response throughout the body. However, this idea is controversial.

He also outlined the less controversial view of [...] that sensory feedback from the face is just a sign the brain uses to understand feelings. Sensory feedback from a smile is a sign that tells us we feel good, and sensory feedback fromony is a sign that tells us we feel bad.

Previous research has shown that the lower face has a more significant effect on emotions, but Dr. Coles says this may not be entirely true because Emotional facial expressions often activate the muscles on both parts of the face. For example, in authentic smiles, there are often lip stretchs and eye wrinkles.

In addition, the participants also reported a higher level of happiness when they saw positive images and after posing with happy expressions. Professor Olga Stavrova, professor of madya at Tilburg University, who was not involved in the study, shared his thoughts on Twitter, called the study "very interesting".

He said that the increase in the level of happiness reported by participants after seeing a smiling face compared to a neutral face may be caused by "emotional transmission" where people tend to align their emotional state with those around them.

As a conclusion, this study shows that "face feedback is one of many components of the edge nervous system that contributes to emotional experience."

But does this study mean smiling in the mirror every morning can cope with pressure, and can these small effects accumulate and affect well-being over time? Currently, there is not enough research to fully understand whether facial feedback can be used to improve mental health.