Susan Sarandon's secret to staying young: Be Happy

Newly single after ending her 23-year relationship with Tim Robbins in December, the Oscar winner is glowing and happy – and rumored to be dating a man half her age, entrepreneur Jonathan Bricklin (the pair have denied a romance).

So what's her secret to looking great?

"Don't smoke!" Sarandon told PEOPLE Thursday night at the Pre-Oscar Ping-Pong Party at West Hollywood's Skybar. "It's just so bad for your complexion. And I guess be as happy as possible. That really helps."

To host Thursday's bash, Sarandon joined forces with SPiN New York, the ping-pong club in which she and the 32-year-old Bricklin are co-investors.

The star says she first got hooked on the idea of a table tennis-themed bar when she went to ping-pong parties with a girlfriend. That ultimately led her to meet Bricklin – a hard-core ping-pong player and documentarian who had dreams of opening his own club.

Sarandon admits that her participation in such a venture seemed a little outlandish, but she went for it anyway. In the end, the "odd" factor helped generate interest.


/People/