In the late Sixties a young clinical psychologist named James Laird performed a ground-breaking experiment asking a group of volunteers to smile or frown, then report how they felt.
His theory, proved correct, was shocking in its simplicity: those who were grinning should feel significantly happier than those who feigned sadness.
That one tiny movement which can change your outlook is the basis for Professor Richard Wiseman’s new book, Rip It Up.
If you struggle to get over a relationship just write your feelings on paper, put it in an envelope and seal it
Surviving a break-up:
Struggling to get over a relationship? Write your feelings on paper, put it in an envelope and seal it.
Researcher Xiuping Li from the National University of Singapore Business School asked 80 people to write down a recent decision they regretted.
Xiuping Li then asked some of the participants to hand their descriptions to a researcher and others to seal them in an envelope.
Those who did the latter felt better about their past decision compared with those who handed them over, because they felt as if they had reached closure.
Next time you want help to get over the end of a relationship, write down what happened, put it in an envelope, and kiss the past goodbye.
Britney Spears and Jason Alexander were married for a mere 55 hours in 2004 before their union was annulled, and now he has opened up about their short-lived marriage, insisting that he was in love with the singer.
In a new interview with ABC’s 20/20 show, Jason Alexander says that the decision to end the marriage had not been his.
He said: “I was in love with her. … I feel like she felt the same way.”
Jason Alexander said that when they broke the news of the marriage to Britney Spears’ management team: “They didn’t want to hear anything … and [Spears] came back, and it ended. That was pretty wild.”
In the annulment papers for the marriage, it was claimed that Britney Spears “lacked understanding of her actions, to the extent that she was incapable of agreeing to the marriage”.
But Jason Alexander says of that claim: “Bull***t. That was probably the hardest part about it. I had obviously got my feelings involved.”
Jason Alexander has opened up about his short-lived marriage to Britney Spears, insisting that he was in love with the singer
Asked what he had learned from the marriage, Jason Alexander replied: “Nice guys finish last. Look out for yourself.
“If you are going to really get involved into a relationship with a celebrity and you are just an average Joe, make sure you are thinking business!”
Following the annulment, Britney Spears said in an interview: “It was me being silly, being rebellious.”
Since the annulment, Britney Spears has been married to dancer Kevin Federline, the father of her two sons, and is now engaged to marry her former agent Jason Trawick.
However, Jason Alexander spoke last year about Britney Spears’ engagement to Jason Trawick, labelling it “fake”.
Jason Alexander said: “I know everyone wants me to be happy about this, but I am not. I think it’s fake and I think people are afraid to say it.
“They look like they are going through the motions. It seems like an answer to the court thing. Sort of a nice way to sew it all up she marries her handler.”
