Vishen LakhianiFounder of Mindvalley | NYT Bestselling Author | Transforming Lives Globally

Why Smiling Can Make You More Successful #shorts #success #psychology

8 Aug 2026 · 1 min

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1:09

In this short talk, a therapist explains that depression is not simply a conscious label but a physiological-psychological feedback loop. He highlights that smiling— even a forced smile— triggers the release of serotonin and other “happy” neurotransmitters, which can shift a person toward a more positive state. He then leads the audience in a brief exercise, asking them to produce their biggest smile, using humor and vivid examples (e.g., sitting on public transport and confronting a “lunatic”) to illustrate how a simple smile can defuse tension and improve mood. The overall message is that deliberately smiling can influence brain chemistry, improve emotional well‑being, and ultimately contribute to greater personal success.

Chapters

In all the years I've been working as a therapist, nobody has ever come into my office and gone, "I'm depressed!" Right? Because that is not the physiology of depression, right? Physiology and the psychology are talking to each other all the time. They're in a cybernetic loop, right? One's affecting the other. Do you know when you smile, you release more serotonin, more happy neurotransmitters, right? Yeah, when you smile, even if you're only pretending to smile. So what I'd like you to do right now is show me your biggest smile. Oh, for God's sake. There's a couple of you going, "Grrr." It's more like a death threat than a smile. No, no, come on, please. Remember, we want to generate a really positive state. You can sit like this in your office all day long, and no one will bother you. You can get on public transport, right? And you don't need a newspaper to avert eye contact from the lunatic, right? You know, you can get on public transport, and you'd be sitting there like this, and then the lunatic gets on, "Ahh, there could have been somebody else!" And you just go, "Yee." That's it. They won't come near you.