We often hear that “money can’t buy happiness.” Yet a growing body of research suggests something more nuanced: how we spend our money matters.

According to new findings highlighted in Scientific American, spending on experiences—such as concerts, trips, meals, or classes—creates deeper feelings of connection, belonging, and well-being than spending on material goods.

This research is not only relevant to psychology—it also aligns closely with what we know about nonverbal behavior, body language, and how people build relationships through shared meaning.

If our experiences shape how we act, interact, and signal ourselves to others, then the choice between buying things and doing things may influence not just happiness, but how we show up socially and emotionally.

The Research: Experiences Foster Connection in Ways Objects Don’t

The research summarized by Scientific American draws from 13 experiments involving nearly 2,000 participants. In each study, people were asked to recall either a material purchase (like clothing or electronics) or an experiential purchase (like a trip or a live event).

Across the board, people who reflected on experiences reported:

• Greater happiness and overall emotional satisfaction
• A stronger sense of social connection, even to strangers
• More feelings of similarity and kinship with others who had the same experience
• Higher motivation to engage in social activities, rather than solitary ones

Crucially, these effects held true even when comparing “better” versus “worse” versions of the same purchase.

Someone who had a more expensive seat at a concert still felt connected to someone who went to the same event. But two people who bought the same type of physical product did not show the same bond.

Experiences, it seems, create shared identity in ways that objects cannot.

Why Experiences Create Stronger Bonds

Several psychological explanations help make sense of why experiences are so powerful for happiness and connection—and why this matters for reading people and understanding their nonverbal communication.

1. Experiences become part of identity

Experiences shape who we are. They influence our worldview, preferences, and the stories we tell. Because identity drives so much of our body language and nonverbal behavior—how we gesture, how we express emotion, how we communicate—shared experiences create an immediate sense of similarity and rapport.

2. Experiences reduce social comparison

Material goods tend to spark judgment and comparison (who has the newer phone, nicer car, more expensive bag). Experiences, by contrast, emphasize shared meaning rather than status. Even if two people had different versions of an experience, the common ground outweighs the differences.

3. Memories spark conversation and connection

Experiences give us stories, emotions, and moments we relive and retell. These memories fuel conversations and help people understand each other’s values—an important foundation for reading people accurately.

4. Experiences motivate social behavior

Reflecting on experiences seems to prime us toward sociability. People recalling experiential purchases expressed greater interest in spending time with others, engaging in group activities, and building relationships.

That matters because social motivation influences posture, eye contact, tone of voice, and other components of nonverbal communication that shape how others perceive us.

What This Means for Nonverbal Behavior and Reading People

For those who study or work with nonverbal behavior, this research carries several implications:

• Shared experiences shape expressive behavior. People who engage in more social experiences may display warmer body language, greater emotional openness, and clearer nonverbal signals.
• Connection changes how we interpret others. When we feel a sense of similarity or shared identity, we tend to read facial expressions and nonverbal cues more accurately.
• Experiences help people feel “seen.” Doing activities together creates opportunities for emotional expression—eye contact, laughter, touch, gestures—that deepen rapport.
• Material purchases don’t have the same interpersonal ripple effects. A new gadget might boost short-term mood, but it doesn’t typically alter how people interact or how connection is communicated nonverbally.

In other words: experiences don’t just make us happier—they make us more attuned, expressive, and receptive in our relationships.

A Practical Takeaway: Choose Doing Over Having

If your goal is to increase happiness, improve relationships, or deepen your ability to connect and read people, the research is clear: invest in experiences, not objects.

Experiences:

• Strengthen social bonds
• Boost happiness more sustainably
• Enhance nonverbal communication
• Encourage openness and shared understanding
• Build stories, not clutter

Whether it’s a trip, a workshop, a nature outing, or a live performance, what you do with others has far more impact on emotional well-being than what you own.

In a world where loneliness is rising, these findings offer hopeful clarity: connection is built in moments, not merchandise.

The post Why Experiences Boost Happiness and Connection first appeared on Humintell | Master the Art of Reading Body Language.

Autism and Facial Expressions: What We Often Miss

Facial expressions are the universal language of emotion. But for many autistic individuals, their emotional signals can be so subtle they go unnoticed.

A recent study from Rutgers University shows that tiny facial micromovements—invisible to the naked eye—carry rich emotional meaning.

This discovery reshapes how we understand autism and nonverbal communication, revealing that the emotional intent is there, but often hidden beneath the surface.

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What Are Micromovement Spikes?

Researchers, led by Dr. Elizabeth Torres at Rutgers–New Brunswick’s Sensory Motor Integration Lab, identified micromovement spikes—rapid, faint muscle activations in the face.

Unlike traditional microexpressions, which last fractions of a second, micromovement spikes are subtler and harder to detect without technology.

The study found:

• Autistic and neurotypical individuals both use the same facial muscles.

• In autistic participants, expressions were often lower in intensity and fell outside the “culturally familiar range” people recognize.

• Factors like age and sex influenced micromovement patterns, adding another layer of complexity.

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How the Research Was Conducted

The team used a surprisingly simple method:

1. Recorded 5- to 6-second video clips on smartphones or tablets.

2. Applied advanced statistical and nonlinear dynamics tools.

3. Detected subtle micromovement spikes during expressions such as smiling or surprise.

This approach makes the findings highly practical for real-world use, from therapy to everyday interactions.

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Why This Matters: Autism Communication and Connection

Misinterpreting—or missing—emotional cues in autism can lead to social disconnection and stigma.

This research suggests that by learning to detect micromovement spikes, caregivers, therapists, and educators can:

• Better recognize emotions in autistic individuals.

• Respond with empathy and accuracy.

• Foster stronger social inclusion and understanding.

Future tools, such as apps that analyze micromovements in real time, may become emotional translators, helping bridge communication gaps.

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Humintell’s Perspective

At Humintell, our mission is to help people recognize microexpressions and nonverbal cues to improve emotional intelligence and empathy.

This research aligns perfectly with that mission, reminding us that:

• Emotional expression exists in everyone.

• Sometimes, it just takes new methods—and greater awareness—to see it.

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Key Takeaways on Autism and Micromovements

The post Autism and Facial Micromovements Explained first appeared on Humintell | Master the Art of Reading Body Language.

A recent study from the University of Essex entitled, “Smiling and Frowning Induced by Facial Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (fNMES) Modulate Felt Emotion and Physiology” explored whether electrically induced smiling could influence emotions.

Participants had electrodes placed over their zygomaticus major muscles—those that lift the corners of the mouth.

A gentle electrical current forced a smile or a frown for about five seconds, while researchers measured how positive or negative they felt afterward .

When participants were made to smile, even briefly and subtly, they rated their mood more positively, particularly when paired with pleasant images.

Conversely, forcing a frown nudged mood ratings downward—even if participants weren’t consciously aware of the induced expression .

While the emotional shifts were modest, the effect was striking given that only a few specific muscles were activated—and only for seconds at a time.

Why This Matters: Smiling and Mood

These findings breathe new life into the longstanding facial feedback hypothesis—the idea that our facial expressions can shape how we feel.

Though prior methods like the classic “pen-in-mouth” technique produced mixed results (especially in replication attempts in 2016), the precision of electrical stimulation offers a more controlled way to test how expression directly impacts emotion .

Smiling boosts mood, the study found—even when it’s not genuine.

That mirrors other research showing that adopting a smile (even fake) can trigger neurochemicals like dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins—your brain’s natural mood regulators .

What This Means for You

Smiling—even forced—can lift your spirits. If you’re having a rough moment, trying a simple smile might engage neural pathways that bias perception toward positivity.

Facial feedback plays a real, albeit subtle, role in mood modulation. Even small activations of smiling muscles—without emotional imagery—can influence how we feel.

Future applications may go beyond experiments. Some researchers propose wearable devices or therapies that gently stimulate smile muscles to support mood, particularly in mood disorders, though this remains exploratory .

Real-World Angle: How Humintell Readers Can Use It

If you’re curious about applying this to everyday life:

Try holding a slight, intentional smile for 30 seconds. Even if it feels unnatural, the facial feedback may still trigger a mood shift.

For those engaged in emotional training or coaching: teaching controlled smiling—even in the absence of feeling it—might help reinforce positive internal states.

Although electrical stimulation therapy is not yet consumer-ready—and not a substitute for professional mental health interventions—it signals a new frontier in understanding how smiling boosts mood through physiological feedback.

Caveats & Notes

The mood effects were small, and participants often weren’t consciously aware of being made to smile.

Long-term effects remain unknown, and ethical considerations must guide real-world use of facial stimulation.

Smiling is only one factor: meaningful emotional resilience depends on multiple lifestyle and psychological strategies .

Key Takeaways

• Smiling—even a forced one—can boost mood, supporting the facial feedback hypothesis.
• Experiment shows a brief electrical smile nudged self-reported positivity.
• Though the effects are mild, they underline how smiling boosts mood, even without genuine emotion.
• This opens possibilities for novel mood-regulation approaches, especially when combined with emotional training or clinical care.

This research reinforces how subtle muscle movements can influence internal experience—and it’s a strong reminder that your face doesn’t just express emotion—it helps create it.

Can Smiling Improve Your Mood? Research Says Yes.

The post Smiling Boosts Mood- Even When it’s Forced first appeared on Humintell | Master the Art of Reading Body Language.