Smile to Reduce Stress

Quick Win

Smile more — it may help boost your mood.

Try This Today 

• Try grinning and bearing it. Smile during tense situations. It could help keep stress levels to a minimum and help speed up recovery from stress afterward.
• Think happy thoughts. Set time aside every day to recall a happy event that makes you smile. Reach for your go-to memory whenever you need a mood pick-me-up.
• Dig deep. When you’re feeling stressed or upset in a situation when it would be more appropriate to appear happy, search within yourself for positive memories or feelings of empathy that may help your emotions match the mood that you want to express.
• Share your smile. Smile at other people, even if you’re wearing a mask. It can increase their positive feelings toward you, which may help you get along better. 

Why

Smiling more may help improve your mood, especially during tough situations. A study published in 2021 in the journal Emotion found that out of 231 young adults, participants who grinned during a needle injection had lower heart rates during the shot than those who wore neutral expressions or grimaces. Grinning can also boost people’s positive perceptions of you, even when your smile is covered. Individuals who smiled behind a face mask were rated as more attractive, trustworthy and competent by onlookers compared to those with a covered neutral expression, according to a study of 250 participants published in 2023 in the Journal of Economic Psychology.