TWH- Some religious figures and even deities and spirits have been advocating we should be smiling more. A new study might help us start the week on a positive note: smiling may help reduce pain. Researchers published their findings in The Journal of Positive Psychology, suggesting that smiling might have a real impact on how we experience discomfort.
We already know that smiling is contagious. When we see someone smile, our brain’s mirror neurons activate, making us more likely to smile in return. This response can boost our mood and make social interactions more positive.
Scientists have long been interested in the idea that our facial expressions can influence our emotions. This theory, called the Facial Feedback Hypothesis, suggests that smiling—even when forced—can actually make us feel happier. However, it wasn’t clear if smiling had any benefits when someone was experiencing pain. This new study set out to explore whether natural, spontaneous smiles could help people manage pain both physically and emotionally.
The Science Behind Smiling
Previous studies have shown that smiling has psychological, social, and even physical benefits. Smiling can lift our mood, reduce stress, and even influence the way others perceive us. People who smile are often seen as more friendly, trustworthy, and likable studies have shown.
There is also a biological component to smiling. When we smile, research finds that our body releases chemicals like serotonin, which helps regulate mood, sleep, and stress. Smiling has even been linked to lower levels of cortisol, the hormone associated with stress. Over time, people who smile more frequently tend to have lower rates of anxiety and depression. In general, the research suggests that smiling has multiple benefits—so why not do it more often?
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Studying Smiling and Pain
The latest study focused on whether smiling could help people tolerate pain. Researchers recruited 57 participants, mostly university students around 20 years old. The participants completed a test called the cold pressor task, a standard way to measure pain tolerance in a lab setting.
During the test, each participant placed their non-dominant hand into a bucket of ice-cold water, just above freezing. They were asked to keep their hand in the water for as long as possible, up to a maximum of two minutes. The researchers monitored their heart rates throughout the experiment and recorded their facial expressions using video cameras.
Before starting the cold water challenge, participants filled out surveys about their mood and stress levels. To establish a baseline, they also completed a brief writing exercise about their morning routine. After the cold water task, they had a five-minute recovery period before rating their pain and overall emotional state.
The researchers analyzed the video recordings with facial recognition software to determine who smiled during the test and for how long. They then compared the heart rates, pain reports, and emotional states of participants who smiled to those who did not.
Original: Muffinator Derivative work: MikutoH [Creative Commons Zero, Public Domain Dedication
The Findings
The results showed an interesting link between smiling and pain responses. Participants who smiled at any point during the test had lower heart rates throughout the entire experiment—even before placing their hands in the cold water. However, the amount of time they spent smiling didn’t seem to make a difference; simply smiling at any point was enough to have an effect.
One possible explanation comes from a theory called the Undoing Hypothesis. This idea suggests that positive emotions, like those triggered by smiling, can help “undo” the physical effects of stress. In this case, smiling might have helped regulate the participants’ heart rates, keeping them lower even before they experienced pain.
There were limits, however. The study did not find a strong link between smiling and self-reported pain levels. In other words, people who smiled did not necessarily feel less pain than those who didn’t. This contradicts some earlier studies that suggested smiling can reduce pain perception. The researchers also found that smiling didn’t seem to make participants feel happier after recovering from the pain. However, those who smiled for longer periods did report feeling more positive after the test.
Despite the small sample size, the study provides valuable insight into how facial expressions influence pain. Unlike previous studies that instructed participants to smile on purpose, this study focused on natural, spontaneous smiles. This approach makes the findings more realistic because people weren’t forced to smile, meaning their responses were more natural.
While the study didn’t prove that smiling can reduce pain levels, it did show that smiling has physiological benefits, particularly for heart rate regulation. More research is needed to understand how this connection works and whether different types of smiles—genuine or forced—can have different effects. Future research could explore whether certain personality traits make people more likely to benefit from smiling in painful situations.
This study adds to a growing body of research showing that positive emotions and facial expressions can influence our well-being. Even if smiling doesn’t directly reduce pain, it still has other important benefits. From lowering stress to improving social interactions, there are plenty of reasons to smile more often.
The quote attributed to American poet Lucy Larcom pulls it together, “If the world’s a veil of tears, smile till rainbows span it.” Science seems to agree, at least in part—smiling might not erase all the pain, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to try.
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