Are positive people more attractive?

“Turn that frown upside down.”

Chances are most people have heard that on a day when they were feeling a little bit down, and if they are looking to form friendships, that might be good advice, according to researchers at the University of California-Irvine.

Two studies looked at the impact of positive emotions and how they help relationships grow and develop. In the first study, couples who were dating were asked how aware they were of each other’s emotions. It was determined they were very good at identifying positive emotions. In the second study, women watched a movie with their roommate or a stranger. At the end of the movie, the women watching with a stranger felt closer to that individual if that stranger displayed positive emotions.

“Our findings provide new evidence of the significance of positive emotions in social settings and highlight the role that positive emotions display in the development of new social connections,” lead study author Belinda Campos said in a news release. “People are highly attuned to the positive emotions of others and can be more attuned to others’ positive emotions than negative emotions”

Dr. Pradeep Thapar, a psychiatrist at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Ill., says the positive energy one person gives to another is reciprocal. When a person is trying to get to know someone new, he recommends instantaneously making eye contact and smiling.

“The person sees you as a friendly face and a smiling face, which gives a positive response,” Dr. Thapar says. “Also, don’t look at other things by looking upwards, sideways or at your phone. If someone is talking to you, show that you are really interested in what they have to say.”