Studies have been made that suggest that your body's movements can affect your mood, not just the other way around and so smiling may actually make you feel happier. **
You might want to try this exercise for yourself and see if it is true. If so, let me invite you to stretch the corner of your lips as much as you can towards your lips, and then open your eyes real wide :D
Yes, it feels silly at first, but please give me 20 seconds of your beautiful smile, will you?
...
...
...
...
Now, do you feel the tiniest bit happier? :)
Usually, in the workshops where I hold this exercise, almost everyone in the group feels a bit more happier. It is just the smallest little boost, but the great thing is that you can do this at any moment in the day, in any place, in almost any situation.
So why not try to create a habit of smiling, if it is good for us and also for others around us?
More of my thoughts on smiling here:
*Note: I would like to clarify that you probably will not feel "super happy" after doing this exercise, most likely just a bit happier. My enthusiasm got the best of me in the video, my apologies about that!
So, does this idea of smiling during our day make sense to you? Would you be willing to try it out today? If so, please feel free to share your experience in the comments! I will be smiling while reading each one :D
** These studies has been contested in the last few years because newer studies have not been able to replicate the results of the original ones. Still though, this small exercise is so short and easy, and the potential benefits are great, that I think it is worth giving a try :D