The Science of Optimism
Did you know smiling may help you live longer? Research has shown that a genuine smile is not just a sign of a fleeting emotion but a bigger picture of the overall disposition of a person over time. The authors of one study analyzed the photos from a college yearbook. Women who expressed genuine smiles in their photographs around age 20 had greater levels of general well-being and satisfaction on average when they were in their 50’s.
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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