Passage
A joyful heart maketh a cheerful countenance; but by sorrow of heart the spirit is broken.
Proverbs 15:13 (DBY)
Nearby Context
Proverbs 15:11 Sheol and destruction are before Jehovah; how much more then the hearts of the children of men!
Proverbs 15:12 A scorner loveth not one that reproveth him; he will not go unto the wise.
Proverbs 15:13 A joyful heart maketh a cheerful countenance; but by sorrow of heart the spirit is broken.
Proverbs 15:14 The heart of an intelligent [man] seeketh knowledge; but the mouth of the foolish feedeth on folly.
Proverbs 15:15 All the days of the afflicted are evil; but a cheerful heart is a continual feast.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "Spirit", "joyful", "heart", "maketh", "cheerful", "countenance", and "sorrow". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "Spirit" and "joyful", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 12's "A scorner loveth not one that reproveth..." into verse 14's "The heart of an intelligent man seeketh...", so "Spirit" and "joyful" belong inside that flow. In Proverbs context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.
A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "Spirit" and "joyful" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.