It’s an understatement to say these are trying times, and many psychologists have said that the quarantines and social distancing advocated by healthcare experts to contain the spread of the coronavirus may have a negative effect on our mental health.

However, a leading expert says that a simple turn of phrase can turn a frown into a smile and help us feel happier.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness says that the pervasive climate of anxiety, stress and isolation may be especially harmful to your mental well-being during the COVID-19 crisis.

Now, a leading psychologist from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill says we should change the term “social distancing” to “physical distancing” to define what’s actually necessary to preserve our physical well-being while attending to our emotional and mental health. Based on her research, that simple change can transform our mental state and help us achieve happiness, even in these difficult times.

According to Inc., Dr. Barbara Lee Fredrickson, a psychology professor and the head of the Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Lab at UNC, found that people who spent their time scrolling through social media and interacting with other people primarily through chat or text experienced negative emotions.

“Interacting with others doesn’t seem to help much when you can’t actually see or hear the people you are communicating with,” Fredrickson said. She and her colleagues found that people who experienced positive emotions, according to Inc., were more likely to:

• Exercise
• Practice self-care
• Engage in spiritual activities such as prayer or meditation
• Interact with people face-to-face or via video
• Extend a helping hand to others

“Most people know that these things are important,” she said. “But they are especially so these days when we stay at home to slow the spread of the coronavirus.”

According to Inc., one of the ways we can implement the results of her study is to change the phrase “social distancing” to “physical distancing and social solidarity.”