A good, hard laugh. An invigorating run. The perfect cup of coffee. These are just a few of the countless pleasures you might enjoy in a given day. But once the joke is over, the sneakers come off, and the cup is empty, do those moments make any lasting impression? In other words, does feeling good, however temporary, really benefit us in the long term?

The answer is an emphatic "yes," according to new research. As it turns out, those who experience more positive emotions cope with stress better, find creative solutions to problems, enjoy better health and relationships, and even negotiate more effectively. Cultivate a range of upbeat everyday experiences and you can actually alter the way you live. 

"Rather than just signal an absence of negativity, positivity can produce success and health," says award-winning psychologist Barbara Fredrickson, Ph.D., one of the nation's leading researchers on the science of positive emotions and author of "Positivity." "It helps people discover and access their own flexibility, generosity, and forgiveness -- which are critical when you're facing hard times."

How does it work? When we feel positive, our perspective opens up. It's easier for us to take in valuable information, see what's available to us, acknowledge and appreciate the good things in our lives, find solutions, and so on. Negativity, on the other hand, constricts our viewpoint. While a narrow, fear-based perspective has its place (as in, if there's a fire, you need to focus only on finding a door), looking through that lens all the time works against us over time.

Of course, there's a difference between happiness and positivity. To think that you should spend every day "happy" in the ear-to-ear grin sort of way is unrealistic -- and not even ideal. Rather, think of positivity as a series of moments that, like a fancy buffet, offers a range of deliciously different options to choose from. One moment might feel exhilarating, another serene, and still another, warm and comforting. When you cultivate the range of positive emotions, you improve the way you feel and gird yourself against the negative effects of stress, disappointment, and any number of things that threaten long-term health. 

Work to create a more glass-half-full perspective using the effective strategies that follow -- and watch your life flourish before your very eyes.