Making Happy Happen

To recognize the International Day of Happiness on March 20, the United Nations published the World Happiness Report. In an article in Yes! Magazine, George Ward discusses both the report and his new book, The Origins of Happiness: The Science of Well-Being Over the Life Course.

Describing the report, Ward states that "the U.S. ranks 18th among the world’s countries, with an average life satisfaction of around 6.88 on a scale of 10. While that may be relatively near the top, America's happiness figures have actually declined every year since the reports began in 2012, and this year’s are the lowest yet."

Referencing his own book, Ward writes: "Much of increasing happiness in adults begins with addressing the needs of children. We found that schools—and even individual teachers—have just as large an effect on the happiness of children as do their families. So schools and governments can and should do a great deal more to ensure that they teach the kind of key life skills and resilience that foster happiness, both in childhood and into adulthood."

Source: “Why Americans Score Lower on Happiness Every Year – and What to Do About It,” by George Ward, Yes! Magazine, March 20, 2018. 

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