You are starting a new job that is very important to your career. On your first day, though you are very upset over a personal matter, you determine to do the very best job you can and you keep a smile pasted on your face all day. By the end of the day, you find that not only have you done very well at work, but you actually feel better than you might have expected. This experience offers support for
A) a variation of the James-Lange theory suggesting that facial expressions can affect our emotions.
B) a variation of the Cannon-Bard theory suggesting that facial expressions can affect our emotions.
C) the fact that you are probably in the resistance stage of the general adaptation syndrome (GAS).
D) the idea that we can all choose to feel whatever emotion we choose if we have strong enough character.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This experience supports a variation of the James-Lange theory, which suggests that our facial expressions can influence our emotions. By keeping a smile on your face all day despite feeling upset, you may have induced positive emotions, which in turn led to positive feelings about your job performance. This is consistent with the idea that our physiological response to a situation (in this case, smiling) can influence our interpretation of our emotions, leading to a positive or negative emotional experience.

You Are Starting a New Job That Is Very Important