139 - Friday Fix: Fake a Smile to Have a Better Day

It’s true that happy people smile. But it may also be true that people feel happy because they smile.

Faking a smile might boost your mood, reduce your stress, and help you bounce back from challenges fast.

But you may have also heard about the dangers of forcing a smile when you aren’t feeling it. After all, aren’t you repressing your emotions? There’s a difference between faking a smile for someone else’s benefit and giving yourself a smile to boost your mood. This episode will explain what research says about this.

I also explain how a fake smile impacts your brain, when to try it, and what benefits you can expect.

And if you aren’t able to force a smile sometimes because you’re just not feeling it, that’s OK too. This episode shares another strategy that works well for those days when you can’t seem to muster a fake smile. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices