Mind Hacks

Hack #95. Make Yourself Happy

Turn on your affective system by tweaking your face muscles—or getting an eyeful of someone else doing the same.

Find yourself a pen, preferably a nontoxic, nonleaky one. We’re going to use this little item to improve your quality of life and give you a little pleasure.

In Action

Put the pen between your teeth, in far enough so that it’s stretching the edges of your mouth back without being uncomfortable. Feeling weird? Just hold it there for a little, and appraise your level of mood. You should find that you end up feeling just a little happier.

If you want to go for the reverse effect, remove the pen (maybe give it a wipe), then trap it between your upper lip and nose like a mustache. If you’re feeling anything, it’s likely to be a touch of gloom, particularly in contrast to when you had the pen in your mouth.

Alternatively, if you’re pen-averse, refer to the pictures in [Hack #94] and scrutinize the smiling face for a while. You should find yourself perked up—while the unhappy photo will likely send you downhill if you stare at it a little.

How It Works

Emotional expressions are much more than just by-products of our affective system, the system that deals with emotions. Expressions serve as agents that transmit emotions to other individuals and are crucial in creating and maintaining our own emotional experience. And while aspects of this may be conscious and deliberate—my girlfriend may throw me a grin to let me know she’s not mad that I’ve been glued ...