“Act happy, feel happy, be happy, without a reason in the world. Then you can love, and do what you will.” – Dan Millman
It goes without saying that we act happy when we feel happy, but only a few of us know that it can also work the other way round. Our body and mind are connected and, maybe not surprisingly, the connection between them works both ways. Therefore, if you want to feel better, all you need to do is start acting as if you did.
Early in the 80s, scientists have carried out a series of studies testing what they called The Facial Feedback Hypothesis. This hypothesis claimed that all you needed to do in order to feel happy is forcing you lips to smile and the activation of muscles responsible for smiling will send a fell-better impulse to your brain. In one of such studies, the participants reported feeling happier after forcing a smile by simply clenching a pen lightly between the teeth for about 15-30 seconds.
In 2012 Amy Cuddy – a social psychologist, writer and speaker – gave a famous TED talk “Your body language may shape who you are” arguing that you can also use your body posture to influence your mood. In her studies she looked at how the levels of testosterone and cortisol change in situations of high or low power and proved that the same changes took place when people were asked to adopt high-power or low-power postures for just 2 minutes.
The challenge for today is to act happy. Be energetic, active and cheerful. Be pleasant to others, smile and nod. Dance around and sing in the shower. Get out and do the things that make you happy. Watch your body and language for happy behaviours and use positive words and more relaxed body language.
360 happy cards 