Happiness

Environmental & Science Education, STEM, Behavior, Science & Society, Culture

Ed Hessler

Marc Silver, Editor of NPR's Goats and Soda observes that "When I was a kid, the topic of 'happiness' suddenly went viral thanks to a newspaper comic strip. The cartoonist Charles Schulz, creator of 'Peanuts,' published a book called Happiness is a Warm Puppy.

Photographers from around the world were asked to send archived photos of happiness. Gisele Grayson, Mark Silver & Ben de la Cruz discuss and show some of the images. Each photo has its own discussion.

Their reporting is a delight.

I didn't know that there was a United Nations International Day of Happiness, celebrated on March 20.  Bhutan made the original request, the "country that actually releases is own happiness index." There is a link to the Bhutan report.

Happiness Day is in its 10th year and this year the theme was "'Be mindful. Be grateful. Be kind."

Finland topped the list for the sixth time this year. You can read the World Happiness Report 2023 which uses (six key factors to help explain variation in self-reported levels of happiness across the world: social support, income, health, freedom, generosity, and absence of corruption."

The report's Executive Summary is followed by five chapters: 

1) The Happiness Agenda: The Next 10 Years  

2) World Happiness, Trust and Social Connections in Times of Crisis 

3) Well-being and State Effectiveness 

4) Doing Good and Feeling Good: Relationships Between Altruism and Well-being for Altruists, Beneficiaries, and Observers 

5) Towards Well-Being Measurement with Social Media Across Space, Time and Cultures: Three Generations of Progress. 

I only just learned about this. Finland is offering free trips after being named world's country for six consecutive years. "Those selected for the Masterclass of Happiness will work with coaches in four areas: nature and lifestyle, health and balance, design and everyday, and food and well being." The application time is short (April 2) and you may learn more here.