Smiling is commonly seen as a natural response to feeling happy. However, psychology researchers warn that forcing a smile when you’re feeling down might actually harm your emotional well-being. The impact a smile has on your mood depends heavily on the intention behind it.
A recent study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology examined how frequent smiling influences people’s feelings, especially when the smile is genuine versus forced. The results show a more complex relationship between smiling and happiness than the usual “keep smiling” advice suggests.
What psychology says about smiling too much
Anirban Mukhopadhyay, associate professor of marketing at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, explains that “most commonly, people smile when they are happy, because smiling reflects happiness. However, people also smile when they are unhappy, to mask negative emotion or to try and become happy.” Smiling can be a sign of true joy—or a way to mask how someone really feels.
The researchers conducted three experiments with more than 250 participants to study how often people smiled and why. In the first one, 108 people answered questions about how frequently they smiled on a given day and what they believed about smiling. Then, the participants filled out a survey about their overall life satisfaction.
The second experiment involved 63 participants who were shown funny images. They were told the pictures were being tested for future research, but the real goal was to observe their natural reactions. Researchers asked them to smile only if they genuinely found the images amusing, to better understand the link between spontaneous smiling and emotional response.
The third experiment focused on 85 people, who were first asked to recall times when they smiled because they truly felt happy. Then, they completed facial muscle exercises, manipulating their expressions to mimic a smile or a neutral face. Finally, they rated how satisfied they were with their lives after completing the tasks.
When analyzing the results, the researchers found a clear pattern. People who don’t usually smile when happy tended to feel worse when they smiled a lot—likely because it reminded them they weren’t actually feeling good. On the other hand, those who often smile naturally when happy felt better when they smiled more frequently.
Who benefits from frequent smiling — and who doesn’t
People with naturally cheerful personalities who smile frequently may improve their mood by continuing to smile. Mukhopadhyay recommends that these individuals “just keep smiling” as it tends to make them feel better.
On the other hand, those who rarely smile might find that forcing a grin highlights their discomfort. For them, smiling may be more of a struggle or attempt to mask unhappiness rather than a true emotional expression.
According to the study, being more aware of how you feel about smiling can lead to better emotional health. “People can think about their own beliefs about smiling, see how they feel about how frequently they smile and adapt either their beliefs or their behaviors to make themselves feel better,” says Mukhopadhyay.
This research challenges the common phrase “keep smiling” by revealing the emotional complexity behind a simple smile. It encourages people to be mindful of their reasons for smiling rather than forcing it.
