On smiling...............

"People smile when they are happy, but they also feel happier because they are smiling.  The effect even works when people are not aware they are smiling.  In the 1980s, Fritz Strack and his colleagues asked two groups of people to judge how funny they found Gary Larson's The Far Side cartoons and then rate how happy they felt, in one of two rather bizarre circumstances.  One group was asked to hold a pencil between their teeth, but to ensure that it did not touch their lips.  The other group supported the end of the pencil with just their lips.  Without realizing it, those in the 'teeth only' condition had forced their lower part of their faces into a smile, while those in the 'lips only' condition had made themselves frown.  The results revealed that the participants tended to experience the emotion associated with their expressions.  Those who had their faces forced into a smile felt happier and found The Far Side cartoons much funnier than those who were forced to frown."

-Richard Wiseman, 59 Seconds: Think a Little, Change a Lot