I saw a really neat scientific study in a documentary program last night. They had research subjects hold a pen in their mouth and then use that pen to circle a number between one and five to rate a stack of funny jokes. Half the subjects were asked to hold the pen in their teeth, and pull back their lips so they didn’t touch the pen. The other half were asked to hold the pen in their pursed lips. The subjects had no idea what the study was for. All they knew was they had to use the pen held in their mouth as directed to circle the numbers to rate the jokes.

What the scientists were studying was the theory that smiling can make you happy and frowning can make you unhappy. They realized though that if people thought they were being asked to ‘smile’ or ‘frown’ it would have an influence on their mood. However, holding the pen in their mouth with just their teeth used the same muscles as smiling in the same way, and holding it in the lips used the same muscles as frowning in the same way. So the subjects were actually rating jokes while either smiling or frowning, un-unbeknown to them. Sure enough the group holding the pen in the teeth, smile position, found the jokes really funny. The ones holding in the lips, frown position, thought they were really bad jokes and not funny at all.

Want a quick mood boost. Smile, smile often and regularly, if you can’t remember to smile… every once in a while hold something between your teeth. Force a smile, just line those pearly whites up and pull your lips make. Let the feeling flow from your mouth over your whole body.

I think there’s a bigger lesson here. We create our own happiness in the world. Don’t under estimate the little things, the tiny little simple things… that’s where life’s great secrets and powers reside. In a smile. Not only that, but smiles are catching. You have the power to not only light up your own life for a moment, but bring it to someone else as well.

Pull out that camera and get your loved ones to say ‘cheese’… tell a joke, or just smile.