Mary Poppins was really on to something with her idea that "a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down." Who hasn't used her sweetest powers of persuasion to win compliance from a reluctant child, parent, boss or spouse? Even toddlers know how to get what they want with a cuddle and a sweet smile!

So why is it that doctors so often use scare tactics to strong-arm their patients to diet, quit smoking or take their medication properly?

As a mother, I learned quickly that force is a recipe for disaster as I watched harried parents drag their screaming children to their first day of kindergarten. I didn't want my daughter to comply by force and threats. I wanted to see her motivated and enthused. Whether it's the first day of kindergarten or the first day of the rest of your life, there's hopefully a long, long road ahead for all of us, and things will go so much better if there is no kicking and screaming involved.

Experts in the field of behavioral medicine strongly agree with this idea because it produces impressive results. While many medical doctors tear their hair out about heart patients who won't exercise, asthma patients who won't take their medicine, and diabetic patients who won't lose weight, behavioral medicine specialists are inspired by the positive psychology movement, which focuses on what is right in your life, rather than what is wrong. They’re getting patients to willingly comply — with a spoonful of happiness.

Focusing on small "feel good" things, Mary Charlson, M.D., and her team got patients with coronary artery disease to walk 86 extra blocks per week compared to a control group, simply by boosting their mood and confidence levels. "That's a powerful effect," said Charlson, who is a professor of medicine and executive director of Weill Cornell Medical College's Center for Complementary & Integrative Medicine in New York City.

"It's simple stuff," added her colleague John Allegrante, Ph.D., professor of health education and deputy provost at Teachers College at Columbia University in New York City. "We know that good mood can come from very modest positive experiences and that this can influence thoughts, behaviors and motivations. So, I tell doctors to tell their patients that maybe life is not so bad for them, that there are lots of things to be positive about, and if they search back through their life they will discover lots of things about which they can be positive and proud, and they should remember those things every day when they are faced with challenges."

Added Charlson, "By taking a moment in the morning when you get up to think about something that makes you feel good — and checking back in with that throughout your day — it can make a very big difference in your overall ability to sustain the kinds of lifestyle changes that are necessary to preserve your overall health. Doctors who scare patients are actually having the opposite effect."