Is Smiling Actually Worth It?

Charles Darwin thought so.

When he wasn’t, you know, founding evolutionary biology, Darwin proposed that the act of expressing an emotion intensifies its feelings. 

Today, this is known as the facial feedback hypothesis.

The idea is that, when activated, facial muscles send signals to the brain, initiating the corresponding emotional state.

In short, smiling improves our mood. 

Last year, Stanford University found compelling evidence to support the theory. 

And the benefits don’t stop there. 

When it comes to sports, researchers at the University of Ulster found that wearing a grin altered athletes' perceived effort, making the activity feel easier and boosting performance. 

So, the key to improving our mood or smashing that PB might, at least in part, be as simple as changing our facial expressions. 

Now that’s something to smile about.