Sunglasses not only protect us from the harsh rays of the sun, but can also affect our mood and well-being, a new study says. It has a lot to do with the negative effects of frowning.
According to Huffington Post, smiling can make people in general, happier in a jiffy, regardless of whether the person is just faking it. It seems that the brain is not infallible and can be fooled by biofeedback. Smiling in particular, can manipulate the brain into thinking a person is happier than he or she is in reality. The simple act of smiling, even if one does not feel like doing it, can fire good neurotransmitters in one's brain, such as dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins. These neurotransmitters make people in general, happier because they can reduce stress, lower heart rate, and even blood pressure. These can even reduce pain.
So what does sunglasses have to do with smiling and neurotransmitters? According to Smithsonian Mag, a lot. Apparently, the opposite is also true. If a person smiles, feeling better follows. Stress is reduced, blood pressure lowered, and pain can even vanish. But if a person frowns, feeling bad can also occur. Stress is induced. The report cited several researchers' findings that frowning can induce anger, tricking the brain like smiling can do.
The researchers claimed that not wearing sunglasses can lead to anger because a person frowns more. "Participants walking against the sun without sunglasses scored higher in a self-report measure of anger and aggression compared to those walking with the sun behind and/or wearing sunglasses," the researchers said. Squinting under the sun can also add to the negative feelings, because squinting often means being uncertain about something. The brain is therefore manipulated into thinking something is seriously wrong.
