Have you ever wondered how happy people in your community are? Or how about people in a certain country? It’s easy to make assumptions about people’s happiness levels based on things like economic status or cultural norms, but the truth is, measuring happiness is more complicated than you might think.

The Science of Measuring Happiness

Psychologists have studied happiness for decades, and they’ve developed a number of ways to measure it. One of the most common methods is called the Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS).

This scale asks people to rate their own happiness on a scale of 1 to 7, with 7 being the happiest. Participants are also asked to write down some of the reasons why they rated their happiness the way they did. Psychologists use this information to develop a more nuanced understanding of what factors contribute to people’s happiness.

Happiness Across the World

Recent research has shown fascinating differences in happiness levels across the world. The World Happiness Report, an annual publication produced by the United Nations, ranks 156 countries based on their levels of happiness.

The rankings are based on a number of different factors, including economic stability, social support, and government corruption.

In 2020, Finland was ranked the happiest country in the world, followed by Denmark, Switzerland, Iceland, and Norway. The United States, by contrast, was ranked 18th.

Interestingly, the report found that GDP per capita (a common measure of economic prosperity) was not closely linked to happiness levels. In other words, just because a country is wealthy doesn’t necessarily mean its citizens are happy.

Tracking Happiness in Real Time

While the World Happiness Report is a valuable tool for understanding happiness trends across the world, it’s not always the most up-to-date. That’s where a new innovation called the Hedonometer comes in.

Developed by researchers at the University of Vermont, the Hedonometer tracks real-time happiness levels by analyzing millions of tweets each day.

The Hedonometer works by analyzing the language used in tweets. The researchers looked at over 10,000 commonly used words and phrases, and classified them based on whether they were positive, negative, or neutral.

They then analyzed tweets from around the world, using this classification system to determine the overall level of happiness in each tweet. By analyzing millions of tweets each day, the Hedonometer can give us a snapshot of happiness levels in real time.

What We’ve Learned from the Hedonometer

The Hedonometer has produced some interesting findings since its creation in 2013. One study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, used the Hedonometer to analyze tweets from 2011 to 2013.

The researchers found that happiness levels in the United States were lowest on Tuesdays and highest on Sundays. They also found that Christmas was one of the happiest days of the year, while days with mass shootings (such as the Boston Marathon bombing) were some of the unhappiest.

Another study, published in the Journal of Happiness Studies, used the Hedonometer to compare happiness levels across different cities in the United States.

The researchers found that the happiest cities tended to be smaller (with populations under 1 million), and that cities with higher levels of income inequality tended to have lower happiness levels.

The Future of Happiness Tracking

The Hedonometer is just one example of how technology can be used to track happiness. As more and more people use social media, it’s likely that new tools will be developed to track happiness in real time.

And as our understanding of happiness becomes more nuanced, we’ll be better equipped to design policies and programs that promote happiness at both the individual and societal level.

The World Happiness Report already has had an impact on policy-making around the world. The government of Bhutan, for example, has made Gross National Happiness (GNH) a key priority.

Rather than measuring the country’s success based on economic growth alone, Bhutan’s leaders are committed to promoting policies that promote happiness and well-being for all citizens. Other countries, such as the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom, have also established initiatives aimed at improving happiness levels for their citizens.

Conclusion

Measuring happiness is a complex task, but tools like the Hedonometer and the World Happiness Report are helping us gain a better understanding of this elusive concept.

By tracking happiness trends in real time, we can take steps to promote happiness at both the individual and societal level. Ultimately, our goal should be to create societies that prioritize well-being and happiness for all citizens.