PERSONAL SPECIAL.... THE SMILE FACTOR

PERSONAL SPECIAL THE SMILE FACTOR

A study says our cheerful quotient isn’t inbuilt, or a personality trait. It’s a virtue. And it can be built

Feeling sullen, are you? Another year gone by. So many resolutions that you couldn’t stick to... leave those thoughts behind and cheer up. Everything will be — doesn’t just seem to be — a far easier task if you can smile through it instead of brooding. It’s not just a philosophy to live by; science says so.

According to latest research published in Psychology Today, cheerfulness is not a personality trait. It’s a virtue. Something that we can all build, work upon – with time.

Reach your goals, one smile at a time

The study said that cheerfulness is a habit of thinking and behaving in ways that are upbeat, optimistic and easy-going, regardless of how we may feel at a given moment. Says Arvind Devalia, life coach and author of Get The Life You Love And Live It, “The ability to remain joyful and laugh often can be developed with a bit of patience and understanding of what matters in life. It’s important to make cheerfulness our life goal.”

FIND YOUR OWN REASON TO WEAR A SMILE

The old assumption that some people are just born with a happy disposition isn’t strictly true. Cheerfulness can be acquired. David Byrne in his TEDtalk titled, Reasons to be Cheerful, had said, “There’s a lot to be cheerful about, everyone needs to find their own reason”. Social psychologist Barbara L Fredrickson, known for her specific studies on human emotion, says, “When you are young, other people orchestrate your enjoyment of life. Your parents keep you entertained, and in college, your friends make sure you are okay. But after that, the scaffolding of having a good day is taken away, and nobody is telling you how to provide that for yourself. You must daily do things to increase your cheerful moments.”

Psychologist and author Nick Wignall’s aim in life is “to teach everything I know about how to use psychology to create better habits...” . In his blog, he builds a case for defining cheerfulness as an action and not a feeling: “What if we thought of cheerfulness as a habit of thinking and behaving in way that is upbeat, optimistic, and easy-going, regardless of how we may feel at a given moment?”

In other words, be your own cheer-finder because a cheery disposition also brings with it an optimistic outlook towards life and helps build your self-esteem from within. It’s sort of a domino effect after that.

HOW TO BE SUNNY. . .

Life coach Jasna Burza gives us a few tips as to how we can build a sunny disposition. “Choose to see the world as if everything is working out in your favour. Surround yourself by cheerful people. It’s almost impossible to be sullen when surrounded by cheerful and optimistic folks. We really do pick up habits and behaviours from those around us,” he says.

Adds Devalia, “In an age where we are more comfortable texting smileys, we must ensure some of those animated expressions are actually worn by us in real life.”

WAYS TO RAISE YOUR CHEER QUOTIENT

Listen to inspiring, happy and optimistic stories, movies, podcasts.

Music is a great way to come out of a bad mood.

Environment matters, and what we consume daily affects our mood.

We are more likely to be optimistic about the future if we read a story of overcoming rather than listening to political arguing.

Clear negative thoughts through meditation or positive affirmations. They allow us to look at the world in a different light.

Be your own cheer-finder because a cheery disposition also brings with it an optimistic outlook towards life.

Nona.Walia@timesgroup.com

TL23DEC18