We talk a lot on Face Talk about thinking positive as it’s good for you inside and out—you feel better, you look better—and more good things tend to come your way, say the experts. (It’s also anti-aging—feeling happy adds to longevity and means fewer wrinkles!)

A recept clip has been doing the rounds on the importance of showing gratitude—and as we celebrate Canadian and US Thanksgiving this month, it seemed a good time to focus on the importance of saying thanks, even if it’s only to yourself. It means you’re living in the present and noticing the small, perhaps insignificant things, that help make your day. Increasing your enjoyment in tiny ways—and noticing it—has impact in other ways.

According to a recent piece in Forbes, “acting grateful can actually make you grateful… Even a forced smile, research shows, triggers the release of feel-good chemicals in the brain.”

Apparently, exressing gratitude stimulates the brain’s reward center and the areas of our brian that regulates how we feel stress. It persuades us to think positive… even if we’re not in that particular frame of mind.

The article points out that it’s the same principle as striking a “power pose” to feel confident… even if, at that moment, you’re not feeling particularly upbeat. It helps to make you feel confident and ready to face adverseries or a difficult situation. More from Forbes.