Happiness is a state of mind. Although certain circumstances can’t help but affect you, the decision to laugh or cry remains yours to be made. So instead of drowning in sorrow, why not teach yourself how to become a happy person?

Turning your frown upside down comes with a lot of benefits. Having a more positive outlook can drastically change your life! You’ll feel the change as you wake up each morning or even while working in the office. If you want to know how to become a happy person, read on!

1. Update Your Playlist.

Music has always had an effect on our mood. If you want to teach yourself how to become a happy person, start with the kind of songs you have in your playlist.

Skip the sad, melodramatic or angst-filled music. Instead, put on some really fun tunes to help jump start your morning. Keep your playlist happy and upbeat to encourage the same feelings in yourself.

Some good songs to sing along include the Beatles’ Here Comes the Sun, U2’s Beautiful Day and Bob Marley’s Sun is Shining.

2. Appreciate Beauty.

Beauty is all around us. There’s beauty in the sky, in nature and even in other people… A proven way on how to become a happy person is by learning to appreciate beauty in all its magnificent forms.

When you feel stressed out from a two-hour long meeting, simply look up at the brilliant blue of the sky and allow your frustrations to dissolve. Or if you have time to visit your local museum, do so.

Appreciating beauty invokes feelings of contentment inside us. It’s like a two-minute wonder massage. As famous clergyman Henry Ward Beecher said, "The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things."

3. Spread Happiness.

Here’s another effective way on how to become a happy person - make other people happy as well. Call it karma or whatever you want, but happiness does have a habit of coming back to you.

How do you spread happiness? You don’t always have to do big favors for other people (although that thought is welcome). Sometimes, it’s in the little things like donating to charity, offering to cook dinner tonight, or even in giving words of encouragement.

Spreading happiness uplifts your spirit, and is one of the best ways on how to fill your life with joy and peace.

So you see… It’s quite easy to teach yourself how to become a happy person. All it takes is a light change of routine and you’ll be sporting a smile in no time.