Staying happy is vital to leading a healthy life. Feelings other than happiness such as anger, sadness, and frustration will only make our lives worse. Happiness adds value to one’s life and it should be celebrated by every one of us. But, how about we celebrate happiness on an international level? International day of happiness is all about celebrating and spreading happiness all over the world. Instead of putting our entire energy on anger and frustration, we should be appreciating all the good things in life, cheer up and spread positive energy.

What is the international day of happiness?

International day of happiness is celebrated each year on 20^th March. The United Nations arranges this event on an international scale and it helps in reminding us that being happy is our basic human right and it should be celebrated. If you’re not happy on this day, all the celebrations and cheery smiles may help in changing that. International day of happiness is all about spreading positivity, and it doesn’t matter how big or small it is. On the global level, it reminds the governments of the nations to prioritize the needs of its citizens over their own to make the citizens happy and contended with the way things are going in the country.

International day of happiness not only improves one’s own state of mind but also aids in enhancing the social well-being as a whole. For example, in the 1990s, the idea of Gross National Happiness was embraced by the East Asian country of Bhutan over the Gross National Product. According to this approach, this country prioritized the needs of its citizens and made all the decisions relating to the growth of the economy.

History of international day of happiness 

Whenever someone talks about the international day of happiness, our minds suddenly go to “If you’re happy and you know it…” but this day has so much more to it than just happy smiles and cheerful songs. International day of happiness has been with us since 2011 when the advisor of the United Nations, Jayme Illien, came up with the idea of an international day of happiness and made it the “fundamental human goal”.

Illien is also the name behind the development of the New Economic Paradigm project of the United Nations and ‘happytalism’ which helps in providing the nations with a newfound approach to the growth of economy by putting their entire attention on happytalism instead of capitalism. The main aim of this tactic was to put the same amount of effort on the happiness of the people similar to what the governments put on the economic opportunities.

In July 2012, the General Assembly of the United Nations finally came around to the idea and approved the proposal of marking a day as the international day of happiness. The first international day of happiness was observed and celebrated by 193 members of the United Nations in 2013. People celebrate this day in their own way. Some spread positive messages or some arrange a charity drive. After all, it’s all about spreading smiles, right? No matter how you celebrate this day, it helps us to acknowledge the importance of spreading happiness and incorporating it into public policy.

A large number of organizations celebrate and host an international day of happiness. Such organizations include Happinessday.org, the United Nations, and Action for Happiness. With the help of these websites and social media platforms, people can tell stories that make them happy and spread happiness. It will not only instill happiness in the people who read them but it also improves the social well-being as a whole.

So, now when you’re happy and you know it, make sure you celebrate it to the fullest and spread that happiness all around you. If someone around you isn’t happy, your happiness and cheers can help in changing that.

What is the importance of celebrating the international day of happiness?

International day of happiness holds an immense amount of importance for all the people around the world. Let’s take a look at a few reasons why this day is important to us and why we love it so much.

1. Puts happiness in the spotlight 

According to the World Health Organization, there are about 300 million people who are suffering from depression, stress, and anxiety whereas the rest of the population are going through undiagnosed lack of happiness. We all are in a constant state of stress and depression. Work stress, studies stress, marriage stress, and whatnot. Amidst all of this, people have neglected their own well-being and they are most focused on making a mark and staying competitive in this new globalized society. But the international day of happiness highlights the importance of being happy and how putting happiness in the spotlight can change people’s lives for the better.

2. Reminds us that it is healthy to smile 

According to various studies, smiling not only improves your mood and lessens stress but also brings greater amusement and joy in your life. Plus, when you trim down stress and stay in a happy mood, it tends to have positive effects on your overall health. Even the fake smiles can be turned into real ones. So, make sure you spread smiles on this international day of happiness and penetrate positive energy all around.

3. Happiness is contagious 

According to various studies, if you improve your own mood by doing something you love, you can improve the mood of those around you. It has been found out that people share funny, happy, and positive posts much more than the negative ones. It leads to increased smiling which results in creating a positive circle. Taking this onto an international level, when one country speaks about positivity or any other uplifting message, it tends to inspire the population of another country. So, spread the word, people!

How to celebrate the international day of happiness?

You can celebrate international day of happiness just by being happy but there are many other activities that you can do as well.

It’s time to be more social 

Human beings are considered to be social creatures. They always want to get together with their friends and families and socialize. But lately, many people have been cooped up within the four walls of their rooms and have no time to socialize or have fun. International day of happiness allows you to go out there and drop your stress level to some extent. You can celebrate this day by planning a get together with your friends, go out, laugh a little louder, and interact with new people. In order to relieve that stress and tension, you need some good laughs!

Keep yourself informed 

There can be a lot of reasons that can put pressure around your neck. It may be academic stress or unhappiness due to work. Don’t let this consume you. Instead, keep your mind occupied with reading novels, books, or magazines that improves your mindfulness and well-being. This approach may be able to give you a new outlook on life.

List out the most important things 

One of the best ways to know how you can be happy is to make a list of all the things that you love doing. You don’t have to write all of them. Pick the best five and write them down. But, you need to think hard on this one because it can’t be another Adam Sandler’s movie that makes you laugh. Once you’re done writing your top five, make sure you include at least one of them in your daily life. In this, you can carry on the spirit of international day of happiness for an entire year.

Other than the mentioned above questions, there are also some other frequently asked questions by our users. Let’s hope we cover every one of them.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the theme of international day of happiness 2022?

For 2022, the theme of the international day of happiness is: keep calm, stay wise, be kind. 

As you can see, this year’s theme revolves around the three main factors of achieving happiness.

Keep calm: If you want to stay happy, you need to keep calm no matter what life throws at you.

Stay wise: When faced with difficult situations, we often lose our way and make the worst decisions. Therefore, you need to take some time and think wisely before you act.

Be kind: You don’t know what the other person is going through. So, you should always be kind with your words and actions directed towards them.

Which organization coordinates the international day of happiness?

Action for Happiness is the organization that is responsible for coordinating international day of happiness. It consists of people from 160 countries and it is also referred to as a non-profit organization. The main aim of this organization is to build a world where every individual is happy and kind.

What does the world happiness report suggest?

The world happiness report is an annual tool that collaborates with the international day of happiness and ranks countries according to their levels of happiness. According to the World Happiness Report of 2018, Finland is the happiest country in the world followed by Denmark, Switzerland, and Iceland.

Conclusion

Everybody has a choice and one of the best choices you can make is you can choose to be happy. Happiness is a blessing and it certainly depends on yourself. By being happy, you can only make your life a tad bit easier but also those around you. So, celebrate this international day of happiness with full zeal and zest and make sure you stay happy the rest of the 364 days as well. Spread happiness, not hate!

Want to read about other important days in the month of March? Then click here.
Or if you want to read about important days of other months of the year, then check out “important days of the year” category.