Hang up the uniform. Put away the pens and notepads. For thousands up and down the country, exams are over, the school year is done and eleven glorious weeks of holiday beckon.

Some unlucky souls have to plough on for another week. But most GCSE and A Level students are free, just as the long-awaited summer weather finally arrives.

But many will be unsure how to celebrate their newfound liberty. Others may feel too burnt out to make the most of it.

Some of us will be tempted to spend it doing whatever seems fun. But psychologists say mere fun can be fleeting and unsatisfying. Being happy is a different task.

So here are seven tips from great thinkers to help you not just have fun this summer, but find happiness too.

Travel the world. 16th-Century French philosopher Michel de MontaigneA Frenchman who lived in Bordeaux and is credited with inventing the essay as a type of writing. described the world as a "mirror" that we can use to better understand ourselves. He thought travelling gives us access to new ideas. With an Interrail pass costing less than £200, you could spend a month broadening your horizons all over Europe.¹

Learn a language. Ludwig WittgensteinAn Austrian-British philosopher and mathematician most famous for his work on language. Some consider him the greatest philosopher of the 20th Century. wrote that "the limits of my language are the limits of my world".² Languages break up the world differently: for example, Russian has distinct words for "dark blue" and "light blue". Things that we think are the same can appear different in another language and vice versa. So it is well worth plugging away at your French or German this summer, or doing something different and picking up Chinese, Arabic or Urdu.

Make new friends. French thinker Jacques DerridaA controversial French philosopher, born in 1930. wrote that having friends is what allows us to understand ourselves and come to terms with our mortality, since they remind us that everything comes with a time limit.³ Making a new friend this summer could bring out an aspect of yourself you never knew was there.

Read, read, read. Ancient Chinese philosopher ConfuciusA Chinese philosopher who lived around 500 BC. He founded Confucianism, which focuses on being merciful, conscientious and humane. It also emphasises obedience and the importance of obeying the hierarchies in society. For example, showing respect to your parents. argued we improve ourselves through education. He thought that it teaches us how to act morally, which in turn fills us with the disposition that we need to live a moral life, which he called "ren", roughly translating as "humanity".⁴ If you spend the summer reading books, you may start the next academic year a better person.

Get new hobbies. Karl MarxA 19th-Century German economist and philosopher who argued that capitalism was doomed to collapse. thought human beings need activity. He believed that making things with our hands and brains is a form of self-actualisationA psychological concept in which an individual reaches their full potential. that makes us more fully human.⁵ So try taking up sewing or clay modelling.

Get politically involved. AristotleA student of Plato, tutor to Alexander the Great and the father of political philosophy. wrote that "humanity is a political animal".⁶ He thought it was only by engaging in political life that we reach our full potential. And with the election coming up, now is the perfect time to join in.

Do nothing. Chinese philosopher Zhuang ZiAn influential Chinese philosopher who lived around the 4th Century BC. believed in the art of "wu wei", meaning "doing nothing". But this did not mean being idle: it meant not acting against the universe. We should give up our own egoA person's sense of self-importance. -driven plans and try to live in perfect accord with nature. So this summer, just do whatever the world seems to be telling you to do.

Is happiness harder than fun?

Yes: Having a lark is the easiest thing in the world, but it passes quickly. Building a deep bedrock of happiness takes time and the cultivation of self-knowledge.

No: Happiness is nothing but the accumulation of fun. Try to have fun in everything that you do, and you will quickly find that happiness comes naturally. It is finding the fun in difficult and boring things that is hard.

Or... Happiness does mean more than just having fun, but we cannot be happy without having fun. The important thing is to find out what we truly enjoy doing, and do as much of it as we can.

Michel de Montaigne - A Frenchman who lived in Bordeaux and is credited with inventing the essay as a type of writing.

Ludwig Wittgenstein - An Austrian-British philosopher and mathematician most famous for his work on language. Some consider him the greatest philosopher of the 20th Century.

Jacques Derrida - A controversial French philosopher, born in 1930.

Confucius - A Chinese philosopher who lived around 500 BC. He founded Confucianism, which focuses on being merciful, conscientious and humane. It also emphasises obedience and the importance of obeying the hierarchies in society. For example, showing respect to your parents.

Karl Marx - A 19th-Century German economist and philosopher who argued that capitalism was doomed to collapse.

Self-actualisation - A psychological concept in which an individual reaches their full potential.

Aristotle - A student of Plato, tutor to Alexander the Great and the father of political philosophy.

Zhuang Zi - An influential Chinese philosopher who lived around the 4th Century BC.

Ego - A person's sense of self-importance.