Final answer:
The facial feedback hypothesis best explains how "putting on a happy face" can improve your mood, as it proposes that facial expressions can affect your emotional experiences.
Step-by-step explanation:
The theory that best explains how "putting on a happy face" can actually make you feel better is b. the facial feedback hypothesis. This hypothesis suggests that our facial expressions can influence our emotional experiences. The facial feedback hypothesis is supported by research indicating that facial muscle changes can alter emotional experiences. For example, smiling can lead to feelings of happiness, while suppressing facial expressions can dampen emotions.
In contrast, the Cannon-Bard theory posits that the experience of emotion happens simultaneously with physiological arousal, but does not suggest that one can influence the other. Meanwhile, Schachter's cognitive theory, better known as the Schachter-Singer two-factor theory, and the James-Lange theory focus on the combination of physiological arousal and cognitive processes leading to emotional experience, but they do not specifically address the impact of facial expressions on internal emotional states. The facial feedback hypothesis directly addresses the question posed, making it the best explanation for the phenomenon described.