From the Capilano theory to smiling bringing good fortune

There was an experiment related to this content. It was an experiment conducted in 1974 by psychologists Donald Dutton and Arthur Aron at Columbia University called the ‘Capilano Suspension Bridge Study’ because it was conducted on a bridge over the Capilano River.

There are two bridges along the Capilano River near Vancouver, Canada, one being a sturdy bridge built safely on a low river, and the other being a 1.5-meter wide and 70-meter high bridge suspended across a cliff, with a railing that is not very high, which makes it quite intimidating for people to walk over.

[Capilano Suspension Bridge]

For the experiment, men were divided into two groups, each walking across one of these bridges. A young, attractive woman stood waiting at the end of the bridge to conduct a survey, and the men were asked to contact her later if they were curious about the results. 

9 of the 32 men in the group who crossed the dangerous bridge called the female interviewer back while only two of the men in the group who crossed the safer bridge contacted her. The experiment concluded that those experiencing fear are much more likely to be attracted to someone of the opposite sex they meet immediately afterwards.

Dutton and Aron interpreted the results as the participants mistaking the adrenaline rush from fear for excitement towards the woman. The survey was done with quickened heartbeats from crossing the suspension bridge, and because their hearts were pumping faster during the survey (even though their increased heart rate was actually from the suspension bridge), they mistook it as attraction towards the female interviewer. This phenomenon is called the suspension bridge effect or the Capilano theory. According to this theory, an amusement park where you can feel thrill and fear is a good dating venue to make you more attracted to the opposite sex.

I recently went to see a large exhibition of world-famous artists. It was quite a hot day, but the exhibition hall was so strongly air conditioned that it was quite chilly. I liked it initially because it was cool, but the temperature was so low that I felt slightly cold afterwards. Because the temperature is so low, I got goosebumps while looking at the paintings.

For a moment, I thought to myself, “Did this picture move me?" I was a little taken aback that I even had goosebumps though because I actually wasn’t even very keen on the picture.

I think it was likely the Capilano effect. I mistook the chill for feeling impressed.

I looked it up on the Internet when I returned home, and everyone raved about it in the reviews. I think most of the audience probably thought the art pieces were so good it gave them goosebumps.

This next experiment was conducted by German psychologist Fritz Strak on students. Students were handed out pens then divided into two groups, wherein ‘Group 1’ was asked to bite the end of the pen with their lips, and ‘Group 2’ was asked to bite it with their teeth. The students were then requested to read the same comic book to evaluate how much they enjoyed the comic book.

Students in ‘Group 2’ rated the comic book as being more interesting than students in ‘Group 1.’ The results varied merely depending on whether the comic book was read while biting a pen with their lips or teeth. People determine whether they are smiling by the movement in their cheeks, and the group that bit their pen with their lips did not evaluate the comic book as being fun because their cheeks remained still even in funny parts while the group that bit the pen with their teeth kept considering it fun because their cheeks kept moving up even in uninteresting parts.

There's a saying, “Smiling brings good fortune." According to the two experiments described above, if your face is smiling, your brain processes the smiling face as you feeling happy. Even if the smile is forced without anything actually being enjoyable. Smile as much as you can. Even when you don't have anything to laugh about, make yourself smile. Then you'll feel better and happier, and there'll be more things to actually laugh about. 

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