On Thursday 20th March 2014, the world came together in celebration of International Day of Happiness. What did you do on the day…and what does happiness mean to you?
Last week, people from all over the globe shared their happy photos and experiences via Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and other social networking sites, using the hashtag #happinessday. One click on this tag, and you’re taken to a beautiful gallery of just about everything that could make a person smile; photos of giggling babies, sunny days, blooming flowers, delicious food. We joined in (of course!) – take a look at our gallery on Facebook to see the images we shared.
Although happiness is entirely unique and is different from person to person, it seems that we all unite and find common ground in very similar – and often simple – pleasures. Those who took part in sharing happy images were encouraged to share the basic, fundamental things that make them happy. The UN International Day of Happiness website encouraged us to ‘reclaim happiness‘ from consumerism:
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“Advertisers tell us that happiness comes from buying and consuming their products. Celebrities and the media pretend it comes with beauty & fame. And politicians claim that nothing matters more than growing the economy.
Have you had enough of being made to feel poor in a world that is rich with opportunities to be happy? Or do you think we should just stay focused on money and material things?” [/box]
Following their campaign for happiness, thousands of people took to social media sites to spread the word and share the love. The gallery, hosted by the International Happiness Day website, is packed full of images that’ll bring a smile to anyones face.
For many, it seems, happiness comes down to the people we surround ourselves with. In fact, a recent research project by Action for Happiness found that a staggering 80% of people claimed that relationships with partners and family was the most important factor for happiness. This was closely followed by health, with 71% stating that leading a healthy lifestyle made them happier.
And what about the things that make us unhappy? Encouragingly, the study found that least important factors for happiness were ‘my possessions’ (4%) and ‘my appearance’ (4%). With so little focus on consumerism, it seems that we really have got a happiness revolution on our hands – people all around the world are appreciating the natural, simple things in life. Campaigns like this encourage us to notice the little things in life that make us happy, and stop us from become too bogged down in the boring and stressful buy-sell; something as simple as a spring flower can make us smile, if only we take a moment to notice it.
Speaking of the study, LSE economist and co-founder of Action for Happiness, Lord Richard Layard commented:
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“Our national priorities are clearly out of touch with what really matters to people. Our top priority should be people’s overall happiness and wellbeing. Above all, we should be giving much more attention to mental health, supporting positive family and community relationships and creating a more trusting society.” [/box]
We couldn’t agree more – and that’s why we’ve decided to continue posting these images every day, to increase our own happiness – and the happiness of our friends and followers. We’d love you to do the same – don’t forget to add #happinessday to your posts to keep spreading the word!
Take a look at the outcomes of the study in full here, via Action for Happiness.
[box]If you’d like to discuss increasing happiness in your workplace, please feel free to contact us – we’d love to hear from you. [/box]
