The exploring psychology blog is the place where I highlight and explore the most fascinating and compelling psychology related news and research.
Whether you are new to psychology, currently studying or thinking about studying psychology, or consider yourself an expert in the field, I very much hope that you find the material featured on the exploring psychology blog interesting.
A leading practitioner in the field of positive psychology, Tal Ben-Shahar currently teaches the most popular course at Harvard University. Influenced by the pioneering work of Dr. Martin Seligman, Tal Ben-Shahar states that his goal in teaching positive psychology "is to create a bridge between the Ivory Tower and Main Street, to bring together the rigor of academia and the accessibility of self-help.
You can find out more about this influential expert in positive psychology via the following link.
One of the reasons I love psychology is that by definition it provides a whole host of information that you can relate to. Take something as simple as smiling for instance, we all do it (well most of us do and perhaps we've not been doing it as much lately) but have you ever thought about why you smile? I'm talking about a proper smile, not a false here comes the boss type smile.
Apparently there are two schools of thought concerning the psychology of smiling. These are:
1. Smiling is primarily an individual act. We smile as a result of an inner feeling of happiness.
2. Smiling is primarily a social act. We smile to let those around us know that we are happy.
So what do think?
Ingenious Research
In attempting to answer the why we smile question, Robert Kraut and Robert Johnston from Cornell University decided to go bowling! Kraut and Johnston realized that happiness associated with good bowling, say bowling a strike or a spare provided the pefect opportunity to test the individual Vs Social smiling hypotheses.
The logic behind conducting research in this context is simple but brilliant. At the moment you bowl a strike you are essentially alone, you're not facing anybody, you're looking at the fallen pins, that happiness is all yours. Then shortly after you turn to face your fellow bowlers, family, team mates etc, it's time to share your happiness.
And the winner is?
Social smiling. 4% of bowlers smiled after hitting a strike or spare when facing away from fellow players compared to 42% of bowlers who smiled when they turned round to face other people having hit a strike or spare.
In discussing his research findings Robert Kraut stated:
The smile is a facial response that is recognized around the globe and helps bind people together. We are indeed a "social animal," and the smile is a central way we communicate. I once did a study that blew up in my face because I asked a group of participants not to smile for three days – and they absolutely could not do it.
If you would like to read the smiling bowling alley research in full, you can do so by Clicking Here
When you're Smiling - The Whole World Smiles With You
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I've had a passionate interest in psychology for over 20 years. I began studying psychology in 1990, and I've been teaching psychology in some capacity or another since 1998.
I have a first class honors degree in psychology and a Masters in Occupational psychology from the University of Sheffield (UK). For a number of years, I was a lecturer in psychology at the University of Huddersfield (UK).
I have built four websites around my teaching and research interests.
