A smile can go a long way toward cheering people up-especially these days when it's more important than ever to find solace.

A new survey of 2,000 Americans found that half of respondents believe it has been important during the pandemic to find things to smile about in order to 'stay positive'. And, they say that they can easily get that lift from others.

56 percent said seeing someone else look happy improves their mood-and in recent months 31 percent have made more of an effort to smile at others.

The survey by OnePoll for Ciaté London found U.S. adults believe they are smiling about 11 times every day, amounting to almost a quarter million times over the course of an average lifetime.

52 percent cite 'hearing good news ' as being something that most easily triggers them to beam-which makes us, here at Good News Network, respond with a big grin. 40 percent said a top smile-generator is hearing a joke, and 41 percent pointed to being with family.

Further smile-inducing moments included getting a compliment from a stranger (36 percent), getting a check on payday (30 percent), and eating a nice meal (32 percent).

More than three in five of those polled have had their smile complimented on.

After being in quarantine and exposed to possibly more negativity than on average, 37 percent of those polled want to actively find more things to beam about following lockdown-and a third vowed to have more of a positive outlook in the future.

Ciaté London elevated the simple smile to another level this week, when they project a huge smiley face on the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City.

Earlier this month, the same image-a traditional smiley face with whimsical lashes and lipstick added-was projected on the Parliament building in London, England, to uplift patients in a hospital across the river.

Charlotte Knight, Founder and CEO, said, "The research proved how often people enjoy smiling and the difference it can make to both self-confidence and overall moods-especially one that is 25 meters wide!"

"Particularly at times like this it's important to stay self-confident, emotionally aware, and see the positives in everyday moments by sharing smiles."

More than a third of American polled believe that they have smiled more with age-so maybe we all have something to look forward to.

Need more positive stories and updates coming out of the COVID-19 challenge? For more uplifting coverage, click here. 

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