Your Face Makes You Feel!

[errantember]

I'm reading Blink - The Power of Thinking Without Thinking. One thing they highlight is that studies prove that deliberately manipulating your face to achieve a certain look *causes* that emotional effect. It's not simply a "monitor" of what's going on inside, it can actually induce specific feelings. This has some pretty profound implications for people like me who routinely maintain a stoic face. As of this moment, I'm making a conscious effort not only to let my positive feelings show on my face more, but to keep a smile on my face as often as is practical.

Comments

Re: Blink

[errantember.livejournal.com]

It's definitely important to realize that some people's resting faces look different from their actual feelings. I've been thrown for a loop a few times because I thought I was inspiring a feeling I wasn't.

My puggle has that problem too! He almost always looks either sad or paranoid, even when he's happy. He only really looks happy when he pants.