Smiling and mood may be connected: experts say that deliberately changing a facial expression can sometimes influence how a person feels, although a smile is not a stand-alone treatment for mental health conditions.

Key Takeaways

  • Some research suggests that facial expressions can influence emotional responses.
  • The way people interpret a smile can differ across cultures.

Smiling and mood: a possible feedback effect

Jeanne Tsai, a Stanford University psychology professor, said older research has examined the facial feedback hypothesis: the idea that a facial expression can affect emotion. In one study from the late 1980s, some participants who adopted a smile while watching a positive clip reported greater amusement.

Judy Ho, a clinical and forensic neuropsychologist who teaches at Pepperdine University, said she discusses smiling as one coping strategy with some patients experiencing depression or anxiety. She emphasized that it is not the only way to address those conditions.

Ho also said people who smiled during stressful tasks generally had lower heart rates during recovery than those who maintained neutral expressions.

Why the type of smile can matter

Tsai's research has also examined how people in different cultures perceive calm smiles and broad, excited grins. Some American participants viewed excited smiles as friendlier, while some East Asian participants characterized those expressions as emotionally unstable or unreliable.

Tsai said context matters, noting that a broad, toothy smile may be less appealing in some East Asian settings unless the situation makes it appropriate.

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