Changing your brain's default setting can help set us on course for a happier life.

Cheerful people leave a lasting impact. The joy, mirth and laughter that follow a cheerful soul bring gifts of optimism and a sort of sunrise to the spirit of others. We have a choice. We can be determined to be cheerful or we can be restrained, unremarkable and boring.

There seems to be no doubt that loneliness is an epidemic, a contagion and one of the most serious health risks facing us today.