20 January 2011

If you chance to meet a frown...

For class this week I read an article about how contagious people's emotions really can be.  As humans, we are constantly and unconsciously taking note of the micro-expressions of the people around us (think Lie to Me and Paul Ekman).  Not only that, but we automatically mimic those expressions--so if you see someone making angry eyebrows, you are biologically trained to do the same.  Taking this to the next level, studies have consistently shown that our moods are tied to our facial expressions--that in addition to smiling when we feel happy, we also can feel happier simply by smiling--a physiological fake-it-until-you-make it.

So to summarize: You see someone frowning (or subconsciously note them making upset micro-expressions).  You mimic their behavior.  Your brain interprets your frowny reaction to mean that you are genuinely upset.  You start to feel upset.  (The same process works for smiling and other emotions/expressions, of course.)

This confirms the idea that in order to be happy you need to surround yourself with happy people, ones who can subliminally haul you up by your pouty lip when you're feeling down.  As long as you don't get to them first, that is.

4 comments:

Kalen's Mommy said...

Thereby confirming what mom has been trying to teach us for our entire lives! *No, not the part about "Do you know what birdies do when they land on your lip?"

bec said...

that kind of goes along with when I draw facial expressions too. If I am feeling really grumpy everyone gets scowls on their faces.

Stefani said...

This also reminds me of a post you wrote about how if you smile all your life then your wrinkles will mold you into a happy person when you're oldie (my interpretation, clearly). Just so you know, that post made a huge impression on me. I have a happy life, so I might as well look like it! I now make concerted effort to smile more.

Russ said...

Thanks everybody. It's nice to know that these posts resonate with people occasionally. :)