Are you in a bad mood? Then it is smart to smile, even if the smile is fake, according to researchers.
Australian researchers let a group of people bite on a pen. Then the muscles in the face get the same expression as when you smile.When your muscles say you are happy, you become more positive, the researchers believe.
Something is happening in the amygdala
When you pretend to smile, something happens in the amygdala. It is the area of the brain where the emotions sit. There, some neurotransmitters are released that make you happy.
The researchers believe that this is important knowledge for people who have difficulty mentally.
If we can “trick” our brain into being happy, then we can do smile exercises to get better.
Not only smiles are contagious
It’s not just you who gets better when you smile.
American researchers wanted to find out if it is true that smiles are contagious. They checked what previous research had come up with.
It’s not just smiles that are contagious, they found out. Sad and angry facial expressions will also be transmitted from person to person.
We read others lightning fast
This takes place completely without us being aware of it ourselves, the researchers believe. We read the feelings of others in a few hundred milliseconds.
This is a unique ability man has. It makes us good friends, because we quickly understand and can adapt to each other.
