Duchenne Smile Study: Should You Put on a Happy Face?

An article, “Smile Like you Mean It” suggests that positive thinking can create a more positive emotional state, which in turn will allow a person to smile more.  If you smile more, then you will generally be a happier person.  At least that is the consensus. One study in positive psychology, performed by Harker and…

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Beautiful People are Happier

Recent research conducted by Daniel Hamermesh and Jason Abrevaya of The University of Texas at Austin suggest that “good-looking people are generally happier than their plain looking or unattractive counterparts”.  The research suggests that this is a result of larger salaries, other economic benefits, and better-looking spouses. Indeed, research has already suggested that income levels…

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Tell Me The Truth

The popular idiom “tell me the truth” has come to bring new meaning to the business world.  Job applicants are now being given a “truth verification” test in their interviews in British Columbia. According to an article in the Vancouver Sun, an undisclosed U.S. company owns the rights to the Computerized Voice Stress Analyzer (CVSA). …

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The Complicated World of Gestures

Many of us use gestures to illustrate our speech or to express ourselves without the use of words. Dr. Matsumoto states, that gestures are basically all kinds of hand movements.  He explains that there are 2 types of gestures: speech illustrators and emblems. Emblems are gestures that convey specific verbal meaning that can exist without…

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