A cheerful heart is good medicine,
    but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. (Proverbs 17:22 NIV)

According to a study conducted by researchers at Stanford University simply smiling for a photo or selfie can actually improve your mood.

The researchers came to this conclusion after studying 3,878 people from 19 countries. They were broken up into three groups. Half of them looked at images of things like kittens and puppies and the other half looked at blank screens.

As they were looking at the images or blank screens, one group was told to put a pen in their mouth to mimic smiling. The second group was told to copy the smile of a photo of smiling actors and the third group was asked to use their hands, to physically pull up the corner of the mouths and cheeks to mimic a smile.

The researchers found that those who copied the smile of the actors or pushed the corners of their mouths were significantly happier than those who didn’t.

The study entitled, The Many Smiles Collaboration, was published in the Nature Human Behaviour.

READ: Just posing with a smile can improve your mood, study reveals