Christoph Niemann

In the song “Smile,” the crooner Nat King Cole famously advised that we smile through heartbreak. But now research suggests that faking happiness may just make things worse.

Today’s “Really?” column reports on a study that tracked the facial expression of bus drivers, whose jobs require them to be courteous and endure frequent interactions with other people.

The scientists examined what happened when the drivers engaged in fake smiling, known as “surface acting,” and its opposite, “deep acting,” where they generated authentic smiles through positive thoughts, said an author of the study, Brent Scott, an assistant professor of management at Michigan State University. After following the drivers closely, the researchers found that on days when the smiles were forced, the subjects’ moods deteriorated and they tended to withdraw from work. Trying to suppress negative thoughts, it turns out, may have made those thoughts even more persistent.

To learn more, read the full column, “Can a Fake Smile Be Bad for Your Health,” and then please join the discussion below.