Will smiling make you happier?
In a special episode recorded before an audience at the Hay Literary Festival, Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken explore the potential health benefits of smiling.
Welcome to What鈥檚 Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken explore every aspect of our health and wellbeing.
In this special episode, recorded before a live audience at the Hay Literary Festival in Wales, Chris and Xand discuss the anatomy of the smile, its evolutionary origins and some of the health claims about smiling. Is smiling uniquely human? Can the simple act of moving our muscles to form a smile make you feel happier? And is smiling the same across cultures and genders? To find out, they鈥檙e joined by several experts and an African street dog named Jack.
Featuring Professor Ben Garrod from the University of East Anglia, Dr Magdalegna Rychlowska from Queen鈥檚 University, Belfast and Sinead Rushe from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London.
If you want to get in touch, you can email us at whatsupdocs@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08000 665 123.
Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken
Guest: Professor Ben Garrod
Producer: Rami Tzabar
Executive Producer: Jo Rowntree
Editor: Kirsten Lass
Assistant Producers: Maia Miller-Lewis and Grace Revil
Tech Lead: Reuben Huxtable
Social Media: Leon Gower
Digital Lead: Richard Berry
Composer: Phoebe McFarlane
Sound Design: Melvin Rickarby
At the 麻豆社:
Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith
Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts
A Loftus Media production for 麻豆社 Radio 4
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- Tue 24 Jun 2025 16:30麻豆社 Radio 4
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What's Up Docs?
Chris and Xand van Tulleken are on a mission to help us take better care of ourselves.