Feel Happy, Even When You're Not

As simple as it sounds, plastering on a smile can be the first step toward cheering yourself up

- Arthur C. Brooks

NORMAN ROCKWELL CREATED some of the most iconic images of 20th-century America. His paintings, such as the Four Freedoms series from World War II and The Problem We All Live With from the civil rights movement, were intended to evoke the best in people who saw them: hope, solidarity, courage, justice. But much of his work also inspired happiness, capturing scenes of lighthearted joy. Consider Shiner, which depicts a young girl with a black eye sitting outside the principal’s office with a grin that tells you she has just been the victor in combat.

I have seen these paintings my whole life, starting with my grandfather’s beloved dog-eared coffee-table book of Rockwell’s greatest works. A printing press operator in Longview, Washington, my grandfather was no art connoisseur. But he gave this assessment of Rockwell: “These pictures make me feel happy.”