Smiling and Mental Health
July 17, 2025
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16:28Now PlayingSmiling and Mental Health
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Smiling is associated with better control of pain, greater fitness, reduced inflammation and other improvements in physical and mental health. Researchers have been studying smiles for a century and a half. Smiles aren't just a reflection of your inner feelings, they are also a signal - to both yourself and others. When you smile you're more likely to feel better. You are more likely to get positive responses from others.
Genuine, or "Duchenne" smiles involve movements of both the mouth and around the eyes. But research in recent decades shows that some people can fake "genuine" smiles. And in laboratory situations, liars are actually more likely to flash Duchenne smiles than are truth tellers.
Battles still rage about whether emotions are biological or cultural, whether there is universal significance to a Duchenne smile, and how well accurately we can detect the lies of others. But most of the research findings, and lived experience, suggest that like Mona Lisa's smile, and most of the rest of life, smiles are more subtle and nuanced than extremists on either side make them out to be.
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References:
How and why could smiling influence physical health? A conceptual review (2022)
Connecting minds and sharing emotions through mimicry: A neurocognitive model of emotional contagion (2017)
What are Microexpressions?
Duchenne smile, emotional experience, and autonomic reactivity: A test of the facial feedback hypothesis. (2002)
Why You Should Never Tell Me to Smile – Emilia Smith (2021)
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Streamed live August 9, 2023
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Psychiatrist, neuroscientist, and author John Kruse, MD, PhD presents practical, actionable, well-researched information about treatment options that scientists and clinicians recommend for adult ADHD and other mental health conditions.
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