,Emotions are contagious, so catch the right ones. Yes, emotions really are contagious. You know it’s true; an encounter with a grumpy person can leave you feeling grumpy, yet meet up with a happy soul and you walk away with a smile on your face.
Comedienne Phyllis Diller once said “A smile is a curve that sets everything straight” and the science proves her right.
Catch a Smile
Not that we need scientific research to tell us that when we smile we feel better about the world. And what is more, people receiving our smile feel better about life, too. What a gift to have. It is contagious. Emotionally contagious to be precise. Emotions are contagious so spread a little laughter around.
The Science Behind ‘Catching Emotions’
According to a researcher from Lund University in Sweden, mimicking a person’s bodily state or facial expression causes physical responses in the receiver’s body that are identical to those in the sender’s. When people use the muscle groups linked to specific emotions, their body will react as though they are really experiencing that emotion. Fake smiling still produces a positive reaction.
If you squint your eyes up and wriggle your nose and make a classic angry pose, your body will release some adrenaline and your heart rate may speed up as if you are really angry.
Likewise, if you even just to pretend to smile by turning up the corners of your mouth and narrowing your eyes, your body will release serotonin, dopamine and other “feel-good” indicators. In the study by Hess and Blairy, participants reported feeling more happiness and sadness/depression relative to the emotions shown on the video they were watching.
Sometimes it’s really hard to feel positive, very hard. Hanging out with people who feel fed up will infect your mood. But don’t avoid them, they need you. Infect them first – give them a smile.
You might also be interested in this article about how teenagers can catch ‘moods’ from friends.
Laughing is Even Better
Laughter can help to relieve stress and has been shown to improve our immune system. Laughing has been described as like giving your innards a workout; massaging our inner organs. When we laugh our blood pressure goes up and then comes down. We also stretch our lungs, relax our chests, and breathe easier. Laughter causes our bodies to release neurochemical compounds associated with an improved mood. When we can laugh at something, we change our perspective and our attitude.
It is hard to stay angry when laughing. As we laugh, we momentarily distract ourselves from our problems and, perhaps, even from our physical discomfort. Life is better when we can have a good laugh. When did you last have a really good side splitting laugh? It’s not wasting time, it’s medicinal.
Some Smiling Facts
Courtesy of Unsplash by @gabrielrana
Small children smile about 400 times a day
We grown ups smile about 14 times a day (what happens to us?)
Women smile more than men (I’m interested in this one because I think we women are often socialised to ‘cheer up, love’, see this on anger in women.)
We are all born with the smiling instinct
It takes 43 muscles to frown but we only use 17 when smiling
A really massive grin can use 53 muscles – a good facial exercise
Apparently we have about 18 different types of smile we use in social situations
When we smile we release serotonin, the happiness hormone, even a fake one can make us feel better
And if you needed any other reasons to smile: Regular smilers are seen as sincere and attractive (but see note about women…)
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Posted on January 26th, 2021 by Jane
