Fake It Till You Make It: The Science Behind Smiling

A digital illustration showing a group of happy and smiling individuals.

First, a hug from a close friend. Then, a good grade returned. Later, a funny joke cracked. Your brain processes these events, and chemicals in your brain are activated, releasing hormones like dopamine and serotonin, making your lips curve upward and the corners of your eyes crinkle. Although this all happens over the course of a few seconds, it still has a lasting, profound impact. The mere act of smiling has been scientifically proven to ameliorate one’s attitude and overall wellbeing.

At some point, you probably have heard the famous adage: “fake it till you make it.” While you may have dismissed the saying as “meaningless” or “corny,” recent studies have proven otherwise. In an experiment conducted by scientists Tara Kraft and Sarah Pressman of the University of Kansas, they investigated whether maxims like this have any scientific veracity. By recruiting a large group of university students and making half of them grin while they all completed stressful tasks, they found that those who were advised to smile often had a better stress recovery response than their agitated counterparts. Their experiment helped prove that smiling amid stressful situations can reduce anxiety and help you relax. 

In her CNBC article, writer Jade Scipioni brings up another recent study conducted by scholars at the University of South Australia, offering new evidence to contribute to the decades’ worth of investigation into the subject. The researchers gathered a group of 120 people and positioned a pen between their teeth, mimicking the facial expression of a smile. Then, participants viewed brief clips of people walking in different gaits as well as pictures of them presenting various emotions. They were then instructed to assess the feelings they noticed as either joyful or sad. All in all, participants with the pens between their teeth reported more positive emotions than those without. It has been proven time and time again that smiling has a direct influence on our outlook on the world. The study’s leader, Marmolejo-Ramos, claims that this can serve as a tool to address issues related to mental health. These two studies both prove that, contrary to what you may have thought, simply smiling can trick your brain into feeling better.

Many scientists also claim laughter—and smiling in general—to be the best medicine. When you smile, the chemicals your brain releases help fight illnesses, acting as a natural pain reliever. It has also been proven to strengthen your immune system, calm your heart rate, and lower blood pressure. In her CNN article “Happiness linked to longer life,” Amanda MacMillan looks at this investigation through another lens. She finds overlap between contentment levels and longevity. She brings to light a 5-year-long study led by Andrew Steptoe, the lead professor of psychology at University College London, in which elders who often reported feeling cheerful had a mortality rate up to 35% lower. Acknowledging that the experiment doesn’t prove that happiness directly affects lifespan, Steptoe still encourages doctors to consider the emotional wellbeing of their elderly patients: “There are still some people who see happiness as something fluffy and less scientific, not something they should be worried about like, say, stress or depression.” It is pivotal that physicians take this research into account when examining their patients because, after all, even a single smile could be the difference between life and death.

Just like yawning, smiling is contagious. When around someone with a smile spread across their face, you will likely develop that same positive mindset. This is because when we see people smile, our brain recognizes their body language, and neurons cause us to “mirror” that same facial expression. Neuroscientist Marco Icaboni offers insight into the subject: “I don’t need to make any inference on what you are feeling, I experience immediately and effortlessly what you are experiencing.” Given that smiling is linked with an affable personality, it allows us to develop stronger bonds with those in our lives. In fact, a genuine smile, also known as a “Duchenne” smile, has been said to increase cooperation as well as trust in relationships.

As such, smiling can even affect our environments and communities. Psychologists studying “emotional contagion” have found that workplaces or classrooms where people smile more frequently report higher cooperation, creativity, and problem-solving ability. A 2019 paper published in Frontiers in Psychology showed that when leaders smile during meetings, their teams report less stress and greater motivation to complete difficult tasks. Smiles create a positive feedback loop: they calm the smiler’s nervous system, which in turn signals safety to others, making the group more cohesive. This phenomenon shows that smiling can be so much more than a personal wellness hack. It’s a small but potent social technology that can ripple outward to improve our collective wellbeing.

In a time when mental health poses a threat to the wellbeing of teens around the world, smiling is a helpful tool in combating feelings of isolation, stress, and depression. So, the next time you are having a difficult day or are feeling down, try to plaster a smile on your face. For many, this simple tactic has proven advantageous, yielding benefits in every aspect of their lives.