By Samantha Jones-
Individuals around the world did not report being more unhappy during the COVID pandemic than in the years before it, according to a study.
The news comes today. the International Day of Happiness, established by the UN in 2012 to recognize happiness as a fundamental human goal.
The 2023 World Happiness Report revealed positive emotions outweighed negative ones at a rate of two to one in the years from 2020 to 2022.
People were asked to rank their happiness on a scale of one to ten, and gave scores over the pandemic years that were just as high as in the previous years.
The polling, conducted by Gallup, also found feelings of positive social support were twice as strong as feelings of loneliness.
For the second year in a row, acts of kindness that both led to and stemmed from greater happiness were above pre-pandemic levels.
These acts include helping a stranger, donating to charity and volunteering.
Finland was ranked the happiest country , holding the top spot for the sixth year in a row
The UK was ranked at 19, having dropped down the list for four years in a row.
Afghanistan remained at the bottom of the list, with Lebanon in second-last place.
The findings contradict earlier reports last year that more people were suffered from depression and anxiety during the pandemic than before.
Some analysts have suggested that whilst anxiety and depression may have increased by some degree during the pandemic, this does not mean overall happiness decreased.
A study by Warwick University showed that several factors contribute to happiness, including watching comedy and fulfilling interactions with people. It also linked happiness to productivity.
It found that happy employees were up to 20% more productive than unhappy employees. When it came to salespeople, happiness had an even greater impact, raising sales by 37%. They also found that the converse was true. Unhappy people were less productive
A fourth experiment studies major real-world shocks (bereavement and family illness) and the impact this has on current productivity. It showed a causal link between happiness and performance.
This means that people who were already happy before the pandemic were more likely to engage in activities that will sustain their joy, including watching more films, interesting television programmes and enjoying every waking moment doing things they loved during the times they were at home.