# Forcing yourself to smile can actually make you miserable

Source: [Mind & Brain News -- ScienceDaily](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/11/261112025536.htm) · 2026-11-14 · Mind
Page: https://themorning.science/story/forcing-yourself-to-smile-can-actually-make-you-miserable-5ea45c63c75185f1
Kind: research · Impact: low

## In brief

- A University of Florida study with more than 1,100 participants examined forced smiling.
- The reported finding is that repeatedly forcing a smile may make people feel worse, even though a single artificial smile may behave differently.
- The source excerpt is truncated, so the full methods and results are not available here.

## Why it matters

Smiling on purpose is often recommended as a mood-boosting habit, so evidence that repeated forced smiles may backfire is relevant to anyone using it as a self-help strategy.

## Timeline

- 2026-11-14: ScienceDaily reported the University of Florida study on forced smiling

## Coverage

- [Forcing yourself to smile can actually make you miserable](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/11/261112025536.htm) — Mind & Brain News -- ScienceDaily, 2026-11-14

Tags: psychology, emotions, mental-health, smiling, wellbeing

---

Brief generated by AI (claude-haiku-5-5) from the reporting listed under Coverage. Headlines belong to their publishers. The Morning Science – https://themorning.science