Happy International Day of Happiness!
Here’s what you need to know about this merriest of days.
What is it?
The United Nations created this day three years ago, to promote one of the organization’s fundamental human goals of happiness.
How is it being celebrated?
This year, music is playing a big part in the celebrations. The UN is using the hashtag #HappySoundsLike to spread people’s happy songs.
The UN created the world’s happiest playlist by enlisting the help of some famous musicians, including Pharrell Williams, whose beloved song ‘Happy’ could not be more fitting for the occasion. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon shared his song choice, and it’s a classic: ‘Signed, Sealed, Delivered’ by Stevie Wonder.
How happy are we?
According to the UN 2013 World Happiness Report, Canada is the world’s sixth happiest country. Topping the list is Denmark, followed by Norway, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
On the opposite side, coming in last is Togo, then Benin and Central African Republic. The U.S. came in at number 17, right below Mexico, which came in at number 16.
The report showed that the biggest source of worldwide unhappiness is mental illness. The report ranked happiness on a scale of 0 to 10, with 10 being most happy. Denmark scored at 7.693, while Togo scored 2.936.
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