I’ve talked to a former chief of the F.B.I.’s Crisis Negotiation Unit about how to defuse tension during family holidays. Emergency-room doctors about how to avoid accidents. A neuroscientist who ...

Smile! Turn that frown upside down. Chin up; everything will be okay. Keep calm and carry on. Think positive. Or as Bobby McFerrin sang years, ago, Don’t worry. Be happy. Such messages are everywhere.

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Dr. Tracy Brower writes about joy, community and the future of work.