Happiness helps football players do better, and it could help economies too

World Cup football teams with a higher proportion of players smiling in their official portraits have scored more goals on average in all group phases since 1970.

• Authors:
• The Conversation

The authors of this study argue that smiling is a reflection of confidence.

Greater confidence results in a greater capacity to overcome complex situations and score more goals.

We decided to explore whether this same smiling-creativity link holds for entire societies by looking at the relationship between happiness and creative…

The argument draws…

• Happiness helps football…