On March 20, we celebrated the International Day of Happiness, as established by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 2012,  “recognizing the relevance of happiness and well-being as universal goals and aspirations in the lives of human beings around the world and the importance of their recognition in public policy objectives. It also recognized the need for a more inclusive, equitable and balanced approach to economic growth that promotes sustainable development, poverty eradication, happiness and the well-being of all peoples. The resolution was initiated by Bhutan, a country which recognized the value of national happiness over national income since the early 1970’s and famously adopted the goal of Gross National Happiness over Gross National Product.”

The World Happiness Report ranks nations every year in terms of happiness, life satisfaction and overall well-being, looking at factors that influence a nation’s perception of happiness.

In this year’s report, here are the lessons worth reflecting on:

• Our wellbeing depends on our perceptions of others’ benevolence, as well as their actual benevolence. Since we underestimate the kindness of others, our wellbeing can be improved by receiving information about their true benevolence (caring & giving).
• When society is more benevolent, the people who benefit most are those who are least happy. As a result, happiness is more equally distributed in countries with higher levels of expected benevolence.
• The opposite of happiness is despair, which can lead to death by suicide or substance abuse – also known as ‘deaths of despair’. Fortunately, deaths of this kind are falling in the majority of countries, though not in the United States or Republic of Korea.
• Latin American societies, characterised by larger household sizes and strong family bonds, offer valuable lessons for other societies that seek higher and sustainable wellbeing.
• Trends towards increased loneliness are most evident among young people. In 2023, 19% of young adults across the world reported having no one they could count on for social support, a 39% increase compared to 2006.
• Sharing meals has a strong impact on subjective well -being – on par with the influence of income and unemployment. Those who share more meals with others report significantly higher levels of life satisfaction and positive affect, and lower levels of negative affect. This is true across ages, genders, countries, cultures, and regions.
• In the United States, using data from the American Time Use Survey, the authors find clear evidence that Americans are spending more and more time dining alone. In 2023, roughly 1 in 4 Americans reported eating all of their meals alone the previous day – an increase of 53% since 2003. Dining alone has become more prevalent for every age group, but especially for young people.
• Meal sharing also appears to be closely related to some, but not all, measures of social connectedness. Most notably, countries where people share relatively more meals tend to display higher levels of social support and positive reciprocity, and lower levels of loneliness.
• People living on their own often experience lower levels of happiness. People in very large households can also experience lower happiness, probably linked to diminished economic satisfaction.
• Social disconnection is quite prevalent among young adults. In 2023, 19% of young adults across the world reported having no one that they could count on for social support, representing a 39% increase compared to 2006.

In summary: giving to others, eating with others, living with others, sharing our social lives with others leads to happiness BECAUSE CONNECTION IS BOTH A BASIC NEED AND A NATURAL STATE FOR HUMANS. Why did we make life so complicated?!

To read the full report, click here