Shammai, the wise teacher of old, antagonist of Hillel said, "Be sure to greet every person with a joyful face." Avot 1:16
Why? Why bother putting on a happy face for people? Two reasons. The first is that they deserve as much cheer as you do. What we want when we go to the bank is not have a sour, unforgiving person snarling at us. Or a person madly leaning on their horn from behind at the intersection. We want a world where people treat us with dignity, equanimity. Others want what we want. Even more, they deserve what we deserve.
Another part of this equation is that we are God’s flock. We are a covenanted people bound to God first through the ancient Patriarchs of the Torah and then again at Mt. Sinai. That means we have a special relationship to our Master and must therefore represent Him in a way that befits our connection. When we "act out" we betray the trust in that relationship. The world will always know us as "Jews" and that is why we have to live up to that name and all it implies.
The second reason is that we are in charge of our emotions and not the other way around. Being conscious of the way we look, the appearance we bring to the outer world has a strong impact on how we feel. We can become happier people by making it so.
A doctor was examining his patient who complained of lethargy, boredom, and depression. Finishing the exam the doctor said "There is nothing physically wrong with you. I hear there is a fantastic entertainer in town. He makes everyone laugh. I think he is called Garibaldi the Great. Why don’t you go see him? He will cheer you."
"Doctor, I am Garibaldi."
The distance between you and joy is as great as you make it.
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