Week Six Smile and Happiness, Essay Example

A smile is usually associated with happiness, while a frown is usually associated with sadness or displeasure.  On the basis of real life expressions,it could be stated that a person smiles because he or she is happy, and a person frownsbecause he or she is sad.According to Ahmed (2008), the facial expression corresponds to the emotion being experienced. But does a smile always necessitate happiness?  There needs to be a differentiation between expressons and their emotional responses, and a method to determine their impact on an individual’s emotion. Five research studies were reviewed to explore how the act of smiling can create happiness in a human being.

Who may frown and who should smile? Dominance, affiliation and the display of happiness and anger.

In 2005, Hess, Adams, and Kleck explored the emotional responses of  men and women in the context ofthe social stereotypes of happiness and anger. The authors hypothesized thata display of anger is more appropriate for men, while smiling, a display of affiliation, is more appropriate for women. The hypothesis was based on the stereotype that men are dominant and womenare submissive. Hess, Adams, and Kleck (2005) formed three studies which used different methods and populations for collecting the data and information.

The first study usedthe mediation model to evaluate the perception that men are more dominant and women are more affiliative. The 25 men and 29 women participants rated a series ofpeople, all displaying a neutral facial expression, regarding their level ofdominance and affiliation and regarding their likelihood to show anger,contempt, fear, sadness, disgust, happiness, and surprise(Hess, Adams, & Kleck, 2005). The results of the study confirmed that people expected men to display more dominant behavior and women to display more submissive behavior.

The second study usedthe vignette approachthat exploresthe conversion of these prejudices intoprescriptive social norms of 151 men and 151 women. The influence of perceived dominance was assessed by evaluating the facial expressions of men and women in situations that elicited anger, happiness, and a neutral state.  Dominance was manipulated with a verbal description of a protagonist that described him or her as eitherdominant or submissive in combination with the use of photos of individualswho had been rated as high and low in dominance potential due to their facial structure.  Participants were shown a series of drawings ofandrogynous faces and were asked to select the face that seemed to show themost appropriate expression for the protagonist.The results showed that men were rated as moredominant.  However, women were not rated as more sociable, suggesting that the link between genderand affiliation may not be quite as strong.The study shows that for dominant individuals, theexpression of anger in an anger eliciting situation is perceived as appropriate (Hess, Adams, and Kleck, 2005).

The third study investigates the influence of perceived affiliation over the facial expressions of 120 women and 120 men, in the context of happiness and anger.  The same procedure was used as in the second study, except that photographs showing individuals who were previously rated as high and low in affiliation, were accompanied by vignettes that described the protagonist as either sociable and warm or aloof and reserved. The results showed for high affiliative individuals happinessexpressions were more often chosen as appropriate in a happiness situation and also for neutral situations.  The results also showed that the gender of the protagonist played an important role in the expectations of emotion.

The outcome of the authors’ research concludes that the perceptions of dominance strongly interelateswith gender.The research also stated thatsocial rules guide the decisions about what is appropriate in the display of dominance and affiliation.The first study showed that gender is linked to perceptions of dominance.  The two vignette studies demonstrate that the expectations regarding displays of anger and happiness are based on the perceived dominance of the protagonist rather than the gender of the protagonist. The mutual relationship is also a ground of emotion that increases an inner feeling in human beings and the people feel and express their emotions in the form of smiles and happiness.

A simple statistical method for measuring how life events affect happiness.

Clark and Oswald (2002) describe in their research that there areseveral other factors that impact happiness and smiling;these factors createdifferent actions on differentindividuals.The authorsalso state that emotionsbased on life events,such as unemployment, illness, and marriage,playseveral and important roles in the life of an individual.  However, the authors recognized that there is no method of measurementthat could recognize the impacts of these factors on individuals in the context of happiness along with an approptiatefacialexpression, such as a smile. A regressional analysis was used with a large sampleof respondents to collect the data and the relative coefficients between life events and income on happiness and smiling(Clark & Oswald, 2002). This research study describes that the different factors, which generallyaffect the life of human beingsalso responsible for the happiness andfacial expression.

When did her smile drop? Facial mimicry and the influences of emotional state on the detection of change in emotional expression.

In the research study conducted by Niedenthal, Brauer, Halberstadt, and Innes-Ker (2001), the emotions of happiness, sadness, or a neutral feeling was induced in 160 participants  by showing them 100 computer-framed movies that related to these emotions.  Only 145 of the participants were used in the results, as 15 were not compliant.  After viewinga movie on the computer, theparticipants who were happy perceived that movie to be happy early in the story.  Participants who weresadperceived that movie to be more depressing  early in the story (Niedenthal, Brauer, Halberstadt, &Innes-Ker, 2001).

It could be stated that the situation is the great terms that set the facial expression along with the happiness or the smile on the face of a human being. At the same time, the outcomes of this study are also very effective in the concern of smile and happiness because this study suggests that the psychological boost could not be able to change the emotion of people. As a result,whether or not people feel happyand smile, is dependent on their own decision.

Multiculturalism and the Promise Of Happiness.

In 2008, Ahmed noted that there is a huge differencebetween the act of smilingand the feeling of happiness. This research study describes that the people could not restrict their emotions, and the facial expression is a term which describes about the real feeling. If a personis well and wants to share his or her feelings, then this situation causes the individual to smile and feel happiness(Ahmed, 2008). But, if the individual does not want to share his or her thoughts, due to any problem, then he or shewould not smile, therefore, not displaying theirhappiness.   Ahmed (2008)  usesworking women and housewivesand analyzesthe mutual differences between both types of women.The results show that that the smile and happiness both are situation-based processes (Ahmed, 2008). Both types of women have also faced several situations in their life by which they face happiness and smile but this study is also not given any clue related to the exact relationship between smile and happiness.

Are smiles a sign of happiness? Gold Medal winners at the Olympic Games.

Fernandez-Dols & Ruiz-Belda (1995) presented a study that includes the entire terms related to smiling and happiness, and describethe relationship betweenthe act of smiling and happiness. The authors also depict the relationship and differencesbetweenthe smile and happiness, along with the their impacts on the expression and emotion of people. They describe that happiness is not the only reason which could create a smile on an individual’s face. Conversely, smiles are not the main factor which cause a person to be happy

The researchers observed the facial behavior of 22 gold medalists at the Olympic Games in Spain.  Theawards Olympic Games awards ceremony was selected because it contains three different stages, the one stage which is for first prize generally attract the attentions of viewers strongly, while other two stages generally based on non-interactive action.Even though the Olympic Games were profusely emotional, most of the situations involved people performing strenusous physical exercise, which frequently distorted facial expressions. On the podium, winners were at rest, but were still engaged in a very emotional situation.  The Olympic Games also provided the opportunity to study the facial expressions of both the athletes who won the gold medal, and the facial expression of the athletes who did not.  Both situationschanged thefacial expressions of the athletes.

Fourteen women and eight men were selected as participants from different countries. Then researchers selected 10 gold medalists were selected and were rated on a scale from 0 to 6 on the basis of surprise, sadness, anger, fear, disgust and happiness. The data and information were described on the basis of neutral faces, other smiles, Duchenne smiles, and other active units. After the analysis of collecting data, it was concluded that happiness does not create smiles on faces.

The tabular form was used to further analyzed data. On the other side, they also selected 10 gold medalists and also gave them a video to judge the smile on their face. In this process, the authors noted that only one model was smiling and other people was not happy.On the basis of the above discussion, the researchers interpreted that there is no dependability between smiles and happiness; both are not mutually related. Hence, this interpretation also plays important role in the concern of the theory that the smile and happiness both depend over the observation of human being that how they want to react towards the situation.

Conclusion

The analysis and outcomes of the research studies describethe gap in the knowledgeof the interrelationship of smiling and happiness.   It is becausehappiness and smiling both are different terms and both depend on other factors such as the gender, race, situations, and the perceptions of society.  There is no “gold standard” method to understand the relationship between smiling and happiness.  From an economic perspective, the authors Clark and Oswald (2002) used a regressional analysis to better understand how smiling and happiness are related to one another.

Emotions of individuals are often dependent on preconceived notions.  The studies describe the different factors in the context of happiness and smiling.When people are happy, they usually smile.  Sometimes the act of smiling can cause a person to feel happy.  Whether this is due to internal or external factors is not yet known.  Ultimatley individuals have the choice as to which emotion they experience.

References

Ahmed, S. (2008). Multiculturalism and the Promise Of Happiness. New Formations, 63, 121.

Clark, A.E. & Oswald, A.J. (2002). A simple statistical method for measuring how life events affect happiness.  International Journal of Epidemiology, 31, 1139-1144.

Fernandez-Dols, J. & Ruiz-Belda, M. (1995). Are Smiles a Sign of Happiness?.Gold Medal Winners at the Olympic Games. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69 (6),1113-1119.

Hess, U., Adams, R.B. & Kleck, R.E. (2005). Who may frown and who should smile? Dominance, affiliation and the display of happiness and anger. Cognition and Emotion, 19 (4), 515-536.

Niedenthal, P.M., Brauer, M., Halberstadt, J.B. &Innes-Ker, A.H. (2001). When did her smile drop? Facial mimicry and the influences ofemotional state on the detection of change in emotionalexpression. Cognition and Emotion, 15 (6), 853–864.