My roommate and I are notorious for our resting bitch faces (aka RBF). Whether we're walking across campus, eating, having fun, miserable, alone, at a party, reminiscing about the good times, studying, or hanging out with our friends, we constantly have that same glaring look on our faces.

I've seen videos of myself with this look. I'll occasionally catch a glimpse of myself in a mirror and think, "Dang, girl, who hurt you?"

I've seen pictures. It's not a cute look, but I can't help it, it's just my face.

I can't tell you how often people say to me, "Yeahhh, my friend thinks you don't like her." Or how many people ask me what my problem is, on the daily.

I don't have a problem, and I probably do like your friend.

Now, I'm not hating on myself or anyone with an RBF. If you have a RBF like me, own it. You look like you'll eff somebody up if they mess with you and that's not always a bad thing. But, sometimes it might benefit you and the people around you if you take a more friendly approach to life. It may be a little (a lot) out of your comfort zone, but it will give you more opportunities to make friends, positively impact someone's day, and maybe even look happy in a candid picture for once.

Here are a few tips and tricks to at least appear friendlier every day.

1. Smile.

Okay, I know this might be a tough one, and you can even do a closed-lip smile, but try to smile at five people every day. It could be someone who is bagging your groceries at Trader Joe's or the cute guy that you see all the time at the gym. By cracking a smile, it shows that you're interested in other people (even if you aren't really) and it helps you come across as friendly.

2. With smiling, comes eye contact.

Not to be dramatic but there is nothing worse than eye contact. For me, eye-contact is a synonym for awkward, intimate, uncomfortable, and with strange men, totally creepy. But, in an effort to appear more friendly, you have to master the art of eye contact. You can do this in two easy steps.

First, you have to be looking up and walking with confidence. Second, quickly glance over at the person you're passing by, walking toward, etc. and if they are looking at you, look back at them and give them a quick smile. This will last two seconds max. If they're not looking at you, you lucked out this time.

3. If you can't decide whether or not to wave and say hi, just wave and say hi.

It's honestly not a big deal. If you can't tell if someone is waving at you or not, just smile and give a tiny wave back. If they are waving at you, it would be plain rude to not wave back, even though I know you're not trying to be rude. If you see a friend of a friend on campus, say hi every time. Challenge yourself because you never know if they might become one of your friends too.

4. Open up your body language.

Not in a weird way. There is a noticeable difference when you see someone walking fast with headphones on, their hood up, arms crossed, and looking at their phone with a full-blown RBF going on, compared to someone strolling across campus, looking up, and smiling with their arms at their sides. Who looks friendlier? Who looks more approachable?

5. Stop worrying about what other people think about you.

Okay, yeah, I know, way easier said than done. Just understand that as long as you go about your day with kind and genuine intentions, it truly does not matter how others perceive your actions. By making an effort to simply be nice to people, you will become more confident, a better friend, and a stronger leader.

6. Be a good listener.

This one is so important! It's my favorite because you can have RBF and be a good listener at the same time. You can be a good listener to people you are really close with and the customer at your store that is telling you about their awful day. Being a good listener is such a rare and selfless action that really shows people that you are interested in what they have to say. When you listen to other people, you are able to engage in thoughtful conversation and build deeper relationships with those around you.

7. Compliment someone.

I mean like genuinely compliment someone. Don't compliment someone just to compliment someone (this definitely isn't the worst thing in the world), compliment someone if they sincerely stand out to you. Maybe they're playing the Ukulele outside one day and the music is speaking to your soul. That would be a good time to compliment someone. Maybe you're playing a game of pickup basketball and someone did a move so quick it broke your ankles and left you shook. That would be a good time to compliment them. You can have RBF and still tell someone when you think they're cool.

I think that friendliness is vastly underrated. Maybe because it subconsciously makes people feel fake or ingenuine or uncool to be nice to others, or maybe because it makes them uncomfortable. We could all put in a little more effort to be friendlier in our everyday lives, even when our signature look makes us appear just the opposite.