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.