In a worldwide study led by Stanford University, which also included Üsküdar Üniversitesi, the psychological effects of smiling were examined. According to the research, whose results were published in 'Nature Human Behaviour', one of the scientific world's esteemed journals, it was revealed that people adopting a smiling facial expression affects their mood.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Asil Özdoğru: “Smiling is effective in individuals experiencing positive emotional experiences”
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Asil Özdoğru, the Üsküdar Üniversitesi Coordinator of the research and Acting Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, made a statement regarding the study. Özdoğru stated that smiling leads individuals to experience positive emotional experiences; “According to the Facial Feedback Hypothesis in emotion psychology, facial muscles activated even when people smile without reason are perceived by the brain, thus being effective in individuals experiencing positive emotional experiences. To test this hypothesis, we conducted an international study with a group whose English name is Many Smiles Collaboration. Within the scope of the study, an online survey experiment was applied to 3,878 participants from 19 countries, including Turkey. In the study, which included 306 participants from our country, researchers from Üsküdar Üniversitesi and Ege University took part,” he added.
Özdoğru made statements about the details of the research
Providing information about the research process, Özdoğru made statements about the details and implementation of the experiment. Özdoğru said; “In the spring months of 2021, participants who answered the survey were shown various pictures and given tasks. Participants, randomly divided into three groups, were given tasks: the first group held a pen in their mouths, the second imitated smiling people in pictures, and the third pulled the corners of their lips towards their ears. All groups were tested as two sub-groups, either looking at cheerful pictures or a blank screen during the task. At the end of the tasks, participants rated how happy they felt,” he said.
Özdoğru: “Emotions are affected by muscle movements and bodily sensations”
Özdoğru stated that the research revealed emotions are affected by muscle movements and bodily sensations, underlining that the study showed consistency with previous works. Özdoğru said; “When the data was analyzed, a noticeable increase was found in the happiness scores of all groups except the one holding a pen in their mouth. This finding also showed consistency with the results of our replication study, which has received nearly 400 citations since its publication in 2016. It can be said that activating smiling muscles by holding a pen in the mouth, as used in previous studies, is not a very reliable method in this context. On the other hand, we confirmed that emotions, a fundamental human experience, are affected by muscle movements and bodily sensations. In summary, we can state that a natural smiling facial expression brings positive outcomes for our mood,” he concluded.
The article on the research published in the journal and Stanford University's news related to the topic can be accessed from here.
Article: A Multi-lab Test of the Facial Feedback Hypothesis by the Many Smiles Collaboration
News: Global collaboration led by Stanford researcher shows that a posed smile can improve your mood