Faking a smile could make you feel happier, researchers say

BOSTON - A new study finds that even if you just fake a smile, you may feel happier.

Researchers at Stanford University led a global study involving more than 3,800 participants from 19 countries. After putting them through a variety of tasks, they found when the participants simply mimicked a smile, they felt happier. 

Researchers say our brains look to our facial expressions to understand how we are feeling. Smiling tells our brains we are happy or feeling good. Scowling sends the message we're feeling bad. Though it's not yet clear whether smiling in the mirror every morning, for example, will have a significant impact on someone's overall mental health.

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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