Say cheese? The connections between positive facial expressions in student identification photographs and health care seeking behavior. (November 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Cross, Marie P; Pressman, Sarah D
• Is Part Of: Journal of health psychology. Volume 25:Number 13/14(2020)
• Page Start: 2511
• Page End: 2519
• Publication Date: 2020-11
• Subjects: facial expression -- health behavior -- health care center visits -- positive affect -- smiling; Clinical health psychology -- Periodicals; 613.019
• DOI: 10.1177/1359105318790066
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1359-1053

Abstract

This study examined whether positive facial expressions in student identification photographs were connected with a health-relevant behavior: visits to a health care center in the last year for preventive and non-preventive (e.g. illness, injury) purposes. Identification photographs were coded for degree of smile. Smiling participants were more likely to have sought preventive care versus those not smiling in their photographs, but there was no difference in non-preventive (i.e. ill health) visits. This study shows for the first time that smiling in photographs may be related to healthy behavior and complements past work connecting smiling to positive psychosocial and health outcomes.