The most certain sign of wisdom is cheerfulness.

Understanding a difficult situation thoroughly often produces lightness rather than gloom, which is the opposite of what people expect. Gravity is easy to perform and frequently signals fear rather than depth, while someone who has genuinely taken the measure of something has less need to appear burdened by it. The cheer being described is not brightness on demand; it is what is left when you have stopped fighting the facts.

This is not a test to apply to yourself in a hard season, and sadness is no evidence of shallowness. But when heaviness has become your permanent register, it is worth asking how much of it is understanding and how much is habit.