Psychologists in Wales tried to determine if facial expression correlates to happiness. In specific, they looked at individuals who were given botox shots that limited their ability to frown. Surprisingly, these people showed a greater sense of happiness and a decreased sense of worry and agitation. The theory is that emotions have a bodily component- it’s not just the thoughts, but also the actions of our body (in this case smiling) that provide the “feedback loop” to our brains.

I don’t think this is a recommendation for botox, but nonetheless an encouragement to at least fake the smile rather than give in to the frown. To read more, go to http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=smile-it-could-make-you-happier


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Botox Studies Show Facial Expressions Influence Happiness

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