It’s impossible to laugh while frowning because the muscles used to frown are different from the muscles used to laugh. When you frown, the muscles in your forehead contract, but when you laugh, the muscles in your cheeks and around your mouth contract.

So why can’t you laugh and frown at the same time? It all has to do with the way our facial muscles are arranged. When we frown, the muscles in our forehead contract, pulling our eyebrows down and wrinkling our forehead. But when we laugh, the muscles in our cheeks and around our mouths contract, pulling the corners of our mouths up into a smile.

The two sets of muscles are arranged in such a way that it’s impossible to contract them both at the same time. So when you try to laugh while frowning, you may end up looking more like you’re grimacing than laughing.

So next time you’re feeling down, try to force a smile. It may not make you feel any better right away, but at least you’ll look like you’re enjoying yourself!