Say cheese, smile big, and stay married long

William Atkins
Friday, 17 April 2009 18:01

Science - Biology

According to the New York Daily News article Smile for the camera - it might help you stay happily married, "The researchers have concluded that people who frown in childhood photos are five times more likely to get a divorce than those who smile for the camera."

The researchers conclude that even small behaviors, such as a smile or frown, can be used to predict divorce.

U.S. psychologist Dr. Hertenstein, the lead author in the study, stated, "It feeds into this idea that what's occurring earlier in our lives in terms of our present situation and our mental state can predict things that occur decades later. Maybe smiling people attract other happier people, and the combination may lead to a greater likelihood of a long-lasting marriage."

"We don’t really know for sure what's causing it." [New York Daily News]

Their paper, "Smile intensity in photographs predicts divorce later in life,” was published in the April 5, 2009 issue of the journal Motivation and Emotion.

Hertenstein concludes, "I think [our results] go along with a lot of the literature that’s been coming out over the last five to 10 years, which shows that positive emotionality is incredibly important in our lives. There are many, many beneficial outcomes to a positive disposition." [New York Daily News]

A video of Dr. Hertenstin appearing on NBC’s The Today Show is found in  the DePauw University article “NBC's Today Features Professor's Research on Smiling and Divorce.”