The facial feedback hypothesis suggests that an individual’s subjective experience of emotion is influenced by their facial expressions. Researchers, however, currently face conflicting narratives about whether this hypothesis is valid. A large replication effort consistently failed to replicate a seminal demonstration of the facial feedback hypothesis, but meta-analysis suggests the effect is real. To address this uncertainty, a large team of researchers—some advocates of the facial feedback hypothesis, some critics, and some without strong belief—collaborated to specify the best ways to test this hypothesis. Two pilot tests suggested that smiling could both magnify ongoing feelings of happiness and initiate feelings of happiness in otherwise non-emotional scenarios. Next, multiple research sites will perform more extensive tests to examine whether there is a replicable facial feedback effect.
A Multi-Lab Test of the Facial Feedback Hypothesis by The Many Smiles Collaboration