An artist with a penchant for feel-good paintings is staging an exhibition at Kingston's Whitehall Gallery.
Doug Hyde is currently touring the UK accompanied by a survey he commissioned highlighting the things that most make Britons feel good.
His work typically features heart-warming, cartoonish figures that often bear strong resemblance to emojis, and Hyde even created a new one especially for the tour dubbed 'ILOVEU'.
One way his work aims to help people smile is by focussing on "the small things".
"Whether it’s seeing something cute or heart-warming, spending time with your loved ones or a stroke of good luck, it doesn’t need to be something big or extravagant to make you feel good," Hyde said.
“Sometimes, something which is simply nice to look at is all that’s needed to put a smile on your face.
“Looking at pictures can bring back a host of great memories and that little bit of nostalgia can make you feel really happy," he added.
Indeed, that view is backed up by the research he sponsored for art tour.
'Blue sky on a sunny day' was named top on a list of 40 things the study's respondents said made them feel good, with 'Seeing a beautiful landscape' and 'Dogs/puppies/cats/kittens' coming second and third respectively.
Meanwhile 82 per cent said love, friendship and family were mostly likely to make them feel good.
According to Hyde's research, the smiley face emoji is most likely to make you feel good, followed by a heart, the blowing a kiss face and the crying with laughter symbol.
The artist said his motivation was to move people — for his work to be ultimately uplifting irrespective of the emotions in generated:
“I love creating artwork that moves people – whether that’s a smile, laughter or even tears - but above all I hope its uplifting," Hyde said.
"I’m looking forward to sharing this new collection, and making more emotional connections with the audience."
The I LOVE U exhibition is currently on display at the Whitewall Gallery in Kingston.
Top 40 things that make you feel good
1. Blue sky on a sunny day
2. Seeing a beautiful landscape
3. Dogs/puppies/cats/kittens
4. Sitting in a clean home after you've given it a tidy up
5. Going out for nice food
6. A compliment
7. Someone smiling at you/ seeing a smiling face
8. Booking a holiday
9. Having a cuddle with a loved one
10. Memories
11. Unexpectedly finding money in a coat you haven't worn in ages
12. A random act of kindness either by you, or watching someone else
13. Seeing a friend you haven't seen in a while
14. A good song coming on the radio
15. Comfort food
16. Watching the sunset
17. Finally buying something you've been saving up for
18. Having a nice interaction with a stranger
19. Having a lie in
20. Your child saying 'I love you'
21. Looking at old pictures
22. Having pictures up of loved ones in your home
23. When your kids do something that makes you proud
24. Losing something and having it returned to you
25. Free food
26. Seeing live music
27. Seeing old people holding hands
28. A full English breakfast
29. Watching a film from your childhood
30. Your partner doing something you find cute
31. Waking up and realising it's Saturday
32. Looking at art/paintings in your home
33. Getting through all the green lights
34. A massage
35. Having a bubble bath after a long day
36. Having a child draw a picture for you
37. A flirty glance with a stranger
38. Meeting someone new
39. When there is cake in the office
40. When someone brings a baby into work
(Survey conducted by OnePoll on 30th January 2020, with 2,000 UK Adults)
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