The Pursuit of Happiness: A Few Insights and Ideas from the Annual Report
The Power of Community, Social Support, and Eating Around the Table Together
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
I’ve always seemed to come back to this South African proverb during times of hardship or adversity.
It’s such a simple statement, but its meaning is incredibly layered, and it has left an unforgettable impression on me throughout my life. There’s wisdom in its simplicity; the idea that connection, not money, fame, or individual success, is what sustains human beings for the long haul.
Last week, while researching the history of saunas and their importance to the culture and community of Finland, I stumbled across an interesting report that reinforced this belief and opened my eyes to how important community really is.
The World Happiness Report is an annual report published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, in partnership with Gallup, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. The data and research compiled in the report seeks to convey the overall status of happiness and wellbeing in countries around the globe, ranking them using a number of different factors.
I was reading through the data and research to learn more about Finland’s famous status as the world’s happiest country, a title which they’ve claimed for a remarkable 8 years in a row.
As I was diving deeper into the different values, social norms, and factors that lead to overall happiness, I started to become really introspective about my own life. Some of the things in the report that were listed as harbingers of happiness were simple things that we too often forget and omit from our lives. It was a stark reminder to take a step back, reassess my priorities, and pay attention to what is really important.
This week, I wanted to share some of the facts and research that stood out to me while looking through this report. I hope that it can provide you with some of the same introspection and insight for your own life.
We Are At Our Best When We Are With Others
This may seem like an obvious statement. Humans are social creatures who crave connection, intimacy, and relationships. We’ve all felt these needs. Whether it's during times of hardship or after a few days of feeling alone, we have an intense need to feel a connection with others.
Now, that may be easy to picture anecdotally, but seeing the actual numbers displayed in the data is a whole other thing.
Across nearly every country that was surveyed for the report, those who had some sort of social support system and community connection were the ones who were the happiest. That’s because social support and connection have been shown to be a major factor in life satisfaction, lower levels of stress, less depression, and even lower rates of disease.
Emphasizing this, the report mentions one widely cited study that estimated the negative health consequences of loneliness and isolation were roughly equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
In this year’s edition, the report addressed the trends related to social support through the tendency of individuals to dine alone.
As a single person in my late 20s, I’ve spent a lot of time dining alone. Outside of a few weekly meals with friends or colleagues, it’s become a standard for most of my life. Truthfully, I think it’s also a standard in our society, and in many ways, I think the emphasis on individualism in the United States has perpetuated this practice.
I didn’t know how prevalent it really was, though.
According to data used from the American Time Use Survey, Americans are increasingly spending time dining alone. The report states that, in 2023, roughly 1 in 4 Americans reported eating all of their meals alone the previous day, a 53 percent increase since 2003. Even more concerning, the act of dining alone has become more prevalent for every age group, but is especially prominent in young people in their 20s and early 30s.
For context, the United States was ranked 69th on the list of countries that spend the average amount of time dining alone, with an average of 7.9 meals a week shared with others. At the bottom of the list were Estonia, Lithuania, and Bangladesh, whose participants reported sharing less than 3 meals a week with other people.
On the other side of the spectrum, topping off the list were Senegal and Gambia, which shared more than 11 meals a week with others.
The researchers found that these countries where people eat with other people, whether it be family members or friends, often reported higher signs of social support and community. They also showed lower rates of loneliness. Even stronger in the research, they found that the difference between eating one extra meal with someone during the week was an upward increase in overall well-being.
The data is incredible and really shows that such a simple act of spending time with others around food and conversation may be one of the biggest ways we can help support our community and build stronger social connections around us.
A Concerning Trend Among Young Adults
Across the world, in 2023, 19% of young adults reported having no one that they could count on for social support, representing a 39% increase compared to 2006. At the same time, global loneliness levels are rising, especially among this same demographic.
The report focused on the wellbeing and social connection of individuals, and using data collected between 2022 and 2023, they found that across 22 countries and regions, 17% of young adults report having nobody they feel close to in their lives.
The research is especially prevalent in the United States. In the 2024 version of the report, researchers noted that the demographic between ages 18-29 (young adults) was the largest reason for the country’s decline in the world happiness ranking. Of concern here is the fact that 18% of these young adults in the U.S also reported they have no one to rely on in their lives.
As expected, the research shows that those who report having a higher quality and quantity of social connections were often the ones who reported the highest on the life satisfaction survey.
And for all the introverts out there, there is even data that shows both extroverts and introverts derive happiness from social interactions.
These numbers present an interesting contrasting thought. We have arguably the most access to social interaction through social media and technology than ever in the history of human society.
Maybe we should be a bit concerned that this rise in this virtuality is coinciding with these lower levels of connection and increasingly higher levels of loneliness.
Down With the System
Outside of thinking on our concepts and practices that induce happiness, this research has been shown to have direct and potentially long-lasting consequences on society as a whole.
In many places, especially Europe and the United States, trust in the system is decreasing across the population. People are feeling less confident and trusting of those in power, and finding ways to make that distrust known.
This is a concept known as populism, which is a political concept that refers to society through the lens of the “people” and the “elite”. The concept is used to explain the ways populist leaders appeal to the masses by focusing on their rejection of mainstream politics, government institutions, and the perceived elite.
This may sound familiar. That’s because we’ve seen a rise in populism over recent years, especially with the growth of anti-establishment parties across the world.
For example, in the United States, it's most notable in the rise of Donald Trump, whose platform was built on the idea of changing the system and “draining the swamp.” In other places, we’ve seen this with the recent French elections, Germany’s recent elections, and most famously, the United Kingdom’s Brexit.
The report used research to link the rise in populist ideals with global happiness trends, including social trust, social support, and overall life satisfaction.
As it turns out, lower levels of life satisfaction lead to lower levels of trust in democracy.
This becomes especially interesting when adding in the factor of social trust, which can be measured as a predictor of different political stances. For example, people with higher levels of social trust (general trust in other people) are more likely to have positive attitudes toward immigrants or are more likely to favor the concept of wealth distribution.
In places such as the United States, the levels of social trust have fallen greatly across our society. Since the 1970s, trust in others has dropped from 50 percent to 30 percent, meaning less than a third of the population reports trust in others.
These values and this data highlight how levels of happiness are affected by different things, such as social support, freedom, and equality. This happiness, then in turn, has effects on the direction of our society and the future of our planet as a whole.
What’s It All Mean?
You can read this report in many ways, but there is one abundantly clear thing: humans need more connection and community to be happy and satisfied.
Even with the rise of social media and virtual connection, humanity cannot replace the benefits of in-person community, connection, and intimacy. As a society, we’re losing some of these values, and it's starting to show.
That’s why it's important to look to other cultures, communities, and nations to learn about the ways they prioritize community, connection, and wellbeing. If we let ourselves fall into self-isolation and loneliness, we are entering a breeding ground for hatred, distrust, and extremism.
It’s especially important because, unlike some of the other factors measured in this report, such as freedom, equality, and economic certainty, our access to each other is within our control. We can create community, connect with others, and build social support.
Now is the time to focus on building systems of community, finding a way to connect with others, and focusing on the more important things in life. We must seek connection, friendship, and personal relationships with others.
Most people are just like us; they want to feel loved, cared for, and listened to. Therefore, let’s try to rewrite the ideas in our head that the world is to be feared, and instead focus on the love.
Because, remember the proverb, if we want to go far, we have to go together.
So, does anyone want to come over for dinner this week?
I’d highly encourage everyone to read through the report and look into the data presented by the researchers. This is only a fraction of the findings. There is much more to be learned from the trends, values, and conclusions drawn in this research.
You can check out the full report here.
Please Read This. - If you are experiencing any of the feelings, emotions, or loneliness mentioned in this post, I hope this reminds you that you are not alone. I think we too often find ourselves trying to force our way through the dark, going the path on our own, because we don’t want anyone to see our pain or suffering. I’m here to tell you that is not the way. Trust me, as someone who has suffered alone, there are other ways to get through hard times.
So, if you have people in your life, reach out to them. If you feel like you don’t, then seek community or talk to someone. Tell people what you are going through. Your pain or loneliness is not a burden. It’s something many of us know all too well. But believe me, the world is full of people who are filled with love and want to help; we just have to give them the chance.
And always, my DMs are open to anyone going through a hard time. Feel free to send me a message. I’d be more than happy to talk.
Let’s Reverse the Trend - July Happy Hour
We’ve been running the Human Nature Happy Hour sessions for the past two months, and I’m excited to start seeing some new faces at these meetups. For the third session, we’ll be meeting (virtually) on July 17th at 5:00 PM PST.
The theme of this month is inspiration and excitement. Keeping with our way of water series, we’re looking for people to come up with ideas about connecting with water, favorite memories from being in (or around) water, and some ideas for future trips, events, and adventures.
These happy hour sessions are primarily a chance to gather together and meet new people while sharing our passion for the natural world. All you need to attend the event is to sign up below and bring a drink (cocktails, mocktails, and even water are all welcome) of your choice to have a chat.
📓 Last Week to Get FREE 14-Day Journal Prompts
These daily prompts are designed to help you pause, notice, and reflect on your connection with the natural world.
Each one invites you to think a little deeper on this relationship, cultivating a more meaningful moment of connection, whether it’s tuning into the rhythms of the weather, remembering a natural place that made an impact on your life, or listening closely to the wild world around us.
This FREE 14-Day challenge is a step toward our mission to cultivate a deeper connection with the natural world and be more mindful about our place on the planet.
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Take a breath. Notice the world around you. And dive deeper into our human nature.
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Thanks for being here, friends. See you in the next one.
With Love,
Keegan
