by Smiling automatically creates a good mood
Actually, it works like this: We are in a good mood and check things out. However, psychological studies have shown that it also works the other way around. Putting on a smile can immediately improve your mood. The mouth signals to the brain, so to speak, that it should be in a good mood. When laughing, the effect is even greater. If you want to get rid of your bad mood, you can easily do it yourself and start laughing out loud.
Other positive effects of smiling also include reduced stress and lower blood pressure. The effect is attributed to a reduction in the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline.
A stranger’s smile also improves our mood
Researchers from the University of Leiden in the Netherlands found that looking at a stranger’s face leads to a so-called “mood migration” leads. This means that we are more likely to smile ourselves when we encounter a smiling face – a happy person automatically cheers us up. You can take advantage of this mechanism, for example by starting a video chat with your family or best friend when you are in a bad mood. If this is not available at the moment, it already helps to watch happy videos of happy people or animals.
Forced smiles can be harmful
However, if you fake a smile to hide your bad mood from others, it can cause long-term damage. For example, people in jobs that require a constant smile, such as flight attendants, waiters, or other service personnel, may suffer from being forced to put on a fake smile. You should therefore not overdo it with the fake smile and regularly too allow negative emotions and deal with your feelings in a targeted manner.
