I’m sure we’ve all been told at least once in our lives to look on the bright side, that things will get better with a positive attitude. Whether it’s school or your personal life, if you smile at least five times a day, you will slowly feel better.

Now, before putting this into effect, I considered this strategy to be fallible. How can reality get better by simply putting it into a different perspective? A person has no control over the events occurring in his or her life, and being optimistic surely make good things happen.

Or could it?

Psychology is a mysterious science, and psychologists believe that not everything about mood is founded mentally. One researcher, Michael Lewis, PhD, of Cardiff University explains, “Emotions are felt through the whole body, not just in the brain.” One famous study showed that people who gave a fuller smile in their high school yearbook were happier in later life. 

Smiling is an indication of joy, happiness, contentment, etc. I like seeing people smile, and I especially like making people smile. A popular myth says that laughing makes you live longer. By extension, happiness promotes health.

I’m not saying that you should smile harder in your high school yearbook, nor am I supporting that you smile 24/7. That would be weird. However, it is possible to manipulate your perspective and make life easier.

Not that it would be as easy as snapping your fingers. First you must learn how to snap your fingers, and then train your fingers to snap regularly. It’s not easy, but it can be done.

With the weather taking a steady downturn and finals on the horizon, it is important to maintain a good mood in preparation. In order to teach yourself to be happy, smiling is, of course, a necessity. Smile at yourself in the mirror. Smile at people you know on the mall. The key is to smile.

Making others happy is another great way to be happy. Compliment your friends. Don’t just give them easy compliments like “I like your sweater” or “You look good today.” Be genuine.

Tell them how much you appreciate them. Make them feel good about who they are, rather than just how they look. When you see their expression, when you tell them how much they mean to you, you will be infected by their gratitude.

Remember to take care of yourself. Just because school sucks doesn’t mean your life has to.