The Science of Optimism
Humans are social beings, and smiling is contagious! When one person sees another smile, it sends a friendly signal to the other person, and neurons in that person’s brain may ignite as if he or she were smiling, too, according to past research. Sharing this positive emotion may even help people bond.
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Review Date:
April 15, 2015Citation:
University of Rochester Medical Center, "Can Optimism Make a Difference in Your Life?" Teens Health, "Good Reasons to Smile" Harvard Medical School, "Optimism and your health" Association for Psychological Science, "The Psychological Study of Smiling" Mayo Clinic, "Positive thinking: Stop negative self-talk to reduce stress" INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS AND GROUP PROCESSES, "A Study of Laughter and Dissociation" SOCIAL BEHAVIOR AND PERSONALITY, "The Effect of a woman’s smile on men’s courtship behavior" Image courtesy of Robert Bayer | Dreamstime.com Image courtesy of Bowie15 | Dreamstime.com Image courtesy of Valua Vitaly | Dreamstime.com Image courtesy of Ocusfocus | Dreamstime.com Image courtesy of Oocoskun | Dreamstime.com Image courtesy of Sakurarin | Dreamstime.com Image courtesy of Tigatelu | Dreamstime.com Image courtesy of Syda Productions | Dreamstime.com Image courtesy of Alberto Hidalgo | Dreamstime.com Image courtesy of Tomonishi | Dreamstime.com
Last Updated:
April 15, 2015