Purpose: It’s a day to be happy, of course! Since 2013, the United Nations has celebrated the International Day of Happiness on 20 March; as a way to recognise the importance of happiness in the lives of people around the world; To understand 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 United Nations invites each person of any age, plus every classroom, business and government to join the celebration.
FORUM: “Happiness for the young, the old, and everyone in between.” International Day of Happiness 2024. Did you ever wonder what makes a society happy? Is a happy society full of citizens who focus on their own happiness, people whose happiness then spills-over to others around them? Or, maybe, a happy society is composed of citizens who are sensitive to people around them, thereby making other people happy. Be among the first to read this year’s insights, centered around the theme of happiness for the young, the old, and everyone in between. Follow the conversation with the hashtags #HappinessDay, #20March, #InternationalDayofHappiness.
EVENTS: Global launch of World Happiness Report and celebration of International Day of Happiness 2024. The 2024 World Happiness Report will be launched on Wednesday, March 20th, from 08:30 a.m to 11:30 a.m. EDT in Washington D.C. Join Semafor, in partnership with Gallup, for a first look at the Report!; We'll present the brand new survey data and share key insights that will change the ways global leaders across business, tech, politics, and beyond perceive “happiness,” and how to promote well-being through our lifetimes. This is a convening of well-being experts, policy practitioners and thought leaders to discuss the data and how economic development, global affairs, and political attitudes affect national well-being to ensure a well-lived life through all its stages. This year marks the 12th anniversary of the World Happiness Report, during the occasion we will analyze the state of happiness in 2024 and will present how people evaluate their own lives in more than 150 countries around the world. The interest in happiness is, of course, global. Since it was first published, the World Happiness Report has been based on two key ideas: that happiness or life evaluation can be measured through opinion surveys, and that we can identify key determinants of well-being and thereby explain the patterns of life evaluation across countries. This information, in turn, can help countries to craft policies aimed at achieving happier societies. What makes people happy? and How do we measure happiness? Register to participate!. Watch the launch ceremony!
EXHIBITS: The UN photographers capture people smiling, celebrating, playing, and laughing in this special collection for the International Day of Happiness.
PODCASTS : To create in a happy society, we need to endorse attitudes that benefit the people around us even if they don’t directly benefit us personally. Happiness does not come back to us through “karma” when we behave well—it comes back indirectly when people around us share attitudes that benefit other people. In short, the happiest societies are those in which people hold and demonstrate attitudes that benefit others. The fact that societal happiness relies on the effects of our other-benefitting attitudes has important practical implications. Listen to the audio-podcasts!
CAMPAIGN MATERIALS: The direct benefits to people who adopt the open society attitudes are very weak, if present at all. Therefore, if we wish to enhance societal happiness, incentives to adopt these attitudes need to be orchestrated by governing bodies, international and local organizations, and every single person who desires a happier society. Get the communication materials!
WHY WE CELEBRATE THE DAY?
We observe the day to measure happiness in each individuals. We analyzed data from over 100,000 individuals collected across more than 90 countries. We found that societal happiness is higher in those individualistic societies where four specific attitudes are highly endorsed—tolerance, trust, civic engagement, and non-materialism. The association between these attitudes and happiness was very strong and was obtained even when other factors—such as wealth of the society—were taken into account.
TOWARDS SOCIETIES HAPPIER?
The observation that numerous cross-country studies indicate that individualism predicts societal happiness. That is, societies that emphasize individuals’ needs and goals over those of the group tend to be happier. However, it has been unclear why members of individualistic societies report higher happiness. The open society attitudes arise in societies that emphasize individualism, in many ways, these values are quite collectivistic.
Let’s remember that even in individualistic cultures, the quality of the society depends on how we treat each other.
Offer an alternative approach to improving learning experiences by prioritizing school happiness.
ORGANIZERS
The International Day of Happiness in organized in partnership with te U.N. Foundation; The United Nations Alliance of Civilization (UNAOC), the UNESCO and the UN Regional Information centres Worldwide.
UN photographers capture people smiling, celebrating, playing, and laughing in this special collection for the International Day of Happiness.
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