A forced smile doesn't improve mood and can actually cause irritation and anger, according to a group of researchers, reports infohub.kz.
The study was led by Nicholas Coles, a psychology professor at the University of Florida. The experiment involved 1,174 people. Volunteers were shown pleasant images—such as kittens and flowers—as well as unpleasant scenes involving theft and animal cruelty. One group was asked to smile once, while another was asked to repeat the expression 10 times. To simulate conditions in the service industry, some participants were threatened with a fine: they were told that if they refused to smile, $2 would be deducted from their $6 payment.
The experiment showed that a single forced smile can indeed slightly cheer a person up while viewing unpleasant images. However, the positive effect quickly disappeared when the task was repeated multiple times. And when frequent smiling was combined with the threat of losing money, feelings of happiness dropped, and participants began to experience outright anger.
The study authors note that corporate requirements to smile at customers can harm employees' emotional well-being. According to the scientists, society has developed a habit of constantly striving to display joy instead of accepting one's true feelings.