International Day of Happiness – Smile today

Did you know that today is the International Day of Happiness?

Well, according to the United Nations it is. Since 2013, the UN has celebrated March 20 as a way to recognise the importance of happiness in the lives of people around the world.

For UNESCO, among the things that bring happiness and joy to our world are Quality of Education, Freedom of Expression, and Healthy Oceans. Can you think of any other?

World Happiness Report

The 7th annual World Happiness Report was released today, the 10 happiest countries in the world are: 1. Finland 2. Denmark 3. Norway 4. Iceland 5. Netherlands 6. Switzerland 7. Sweden 8. New Zealand 9. Canada 10. Austria

The report analyses 156 countries’ happiness in terms of GDP per capita (income), social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity, and absence of corruption.

Ireland is the 16th happiest country in the world according to the 2019 Report. Finland came first this year, holding its position for a consecutive year. While Norway and Denmark swapped second and third place in comparison to last year’s report.

The three nations are the bottom of the list are 154. Afghanistan 155. The Central African Republic 156. South Sudan These countries are typically affected by a combination of economic, political and social stresses.

Be happier

Today we have listed some of the things you could do to be happier in this International Day of Happiness:

In 2015, Psychiatrist Dr. Robert Waldinger shared some of the findings from a 75-year study of 724 adult men that began in 1938. His TED Talk has 26,245,824 views already and has been translated into multiple languages. For him, the key to global happiness is simple “people are happier who are more connected to others.”

So, in today’s world, with social media becoming all-consuming, we are to be remembered that community matters and that it is important to make an effort to increase real-world connections.

Some of the initiatives we encourage you to take are connecting with others in your community and making life happier where you are and, getting daily inspiration by the Action for Happiness team.

We would like to know how you are celebrating the International Day of Happiness. Tell us in the comments!