Kindness will make you happier than higher salary — Report

Despite the growing sense that the world is becoming increasingly cold and challenging, a new report has suggested that kindness remains a powerful source of happiness across the globe.

The World Happiness Report, published annually on the International Day of Happiness, presents a global analysis of happiness and well-being. The report is a collaborative effort between Gallup, the University of Oxford Wellbeing Research Centre, and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

This year’s edition places a spotlight on acts of benevolence and people’s perceptions of their communities. These acts, according to the report, are categorised into three key forms: donating money, volunteering, and carrying out kind gestures for strangers.

Based on global data, the report revealed that 70 percent of the world’s population performed at least one kind act in the past month.

“That’s a really, really high number,” said Dr. Felix Cheung, the report’s coauthor and assistant professor of psychology at the University of Toronto and Canada Research Chair in Population Well-Being. “We should just look at that number and feel really good. Seven in 10 people around us have done something nice … in the past month.”

Although the level of benevolent actions has declined slightly from the pandemic peak, it still remains higher than pre-COVID levels.

“Even though the world feels like it’s a pretty difficult place right now, it is nice to know that people are engaging in kind and generous acts,” said Dr. Lara Aknin, professor of social psychology at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia and an editor of the World Happiness Report.

According to CNN, researchers have said that there is compelling evidence that such acts of kindness not only uplift recipients but also boost the happiness of those performing them.

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Ilana Ron-Levey, a managing director of the public sector at Gallup, pointed out that benevolence could play a crucial role in reversing the ongoing decline in happiness in countries like the United States.

“Acts of generosity predict happiness even more than earning a higher salary,” she said.

According to the report, even small acts such as a donation or an hour of volunteer work can have a significant impact, challenging the assumption that only major life events or financial gain drive happiness.

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