Researchers at the University of Kansas have found that the act of smiling helps reduce stress – and boosts the health of the heart. Researchers looked at how different types of smiling, and the awareness of smiling, affects a person's ability to recover from episodes of stress. They found that even a forced smile can
Researchers at the University of Kansas have found that the act of smiling helps reduce stress – and boosts the health of the heart. Researchers looked at how different types of smiling, and the awareness of smiling, affects a person's ability to recover from episodes of stress. They found that even a forced smile can reduce stress levels; smiling can help to reduce the intensity of the body's stress response, regardless of whether a person actually feels happy. In the study, participants were asked to work on multitasking activities, which, unbeknownst to them, were designed to be stressful. The participants who were instructed to smile during those tasks had lower heart rate levels after the stressful activities compared to those who held neutral expressions.
Daily Mail, 7/31/2012
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