It does work. I can feel it.

Interestingly, the study was done in Australia...

Of course there are cultural exceptions to any rule of behavior due to cultural norms... but in general, in most cultures, a smile portrays positive feelings. In view of that, in my opinion, the study has merit. I know that when I smile, my body seems to relax and I get a peaceful feeling.

The study does have merit with respect to its sample culture but can't be extrapolated to other cultures because the subject matter is culturally dependant. It doesn't include evidence to conclude that in most cultures a smile portrays positive feelings. Regardless, this type of information is worth considering because there is the chance it will be helpful to some readers.

My point is twofold. By failing to acknowledge its own cultural limitations, the study leaves itself open to criticism that it could have avoided if it had acknowledged those cultural limitations. Also, it is important not to designate some cultural practices as the norm so as to relegate other cultural practices as the exception unless the distinction is proven so as to avoid reinforcing the dominance of ethnocentric cultural standards.

@LovinLarge That is true, but the emphasis of the study is about the neurological effect on the person who is smiling, not its effect on other people.

@TheoryNumber3 The study is limited to Australia, so it's only been proven true in Australian culture and it's only potentially true in cultures that link smiling to positivity with no application to cultures that don't link smiling to positivity. It's not the first time I've encountered this idea and it's a worthy idea, but in this type of context it's especially important to recognize that cultural standards are not universal.

@LovinLarge i am not missing the point you've made several times. The results are not universal across cultures . I am just assessing the value of the results in the culture in which it was done where it IS relevant. Obviously the study would have dissimilar results in, say, Japan where smiling has a vastly different interpretation

@TheoryNumber3 There may be other similar studies because the first time I had this conversation was quite some time ago and it was someone else pointing out that smiling has different interpretations in different cultures. It was not something I'd previously considered or that I would have occurred to me without research on point.

The second time I had this conversation was also in person and the person I was explaining it to who was facilitating the group was highly skeptical that smiling wasn't culturally universal. I can still hear him saying "is that even true though?" because it challenged his presumption.

I think there's value to anything that suggests ideas about how to help people feel better In this age of struggle and controversy. This study also got me wondering if its reverse principle could be applied to other things and I think it can although I'm still working on examples. The point of the study is valid and although its ethnocentrism limits its application, that doesn't invalidate its results so I appreciate you posting it. I apologize if my discussion was tedious.