International Day of happiness - what makes you happy?

This week’s Conversation Club coincided with “International Day of Happiness”. It is a global celebration to mark the UN international day of happiness. On the 20th of March every year the UN recognises “the relevance of happiness and well-being as universal goals and aspirations in the lives of human beings around the world”.

At yesterday’s Conversation Club we took the opportunity to find out what made people happy in life, from the big to the little things.

We began by asking what makes people most happy in life:

Hartmut, originally from Germany who now lives in Switzerland said the relationship with his partner is the thing that makes him most happy in life – “It makes me happy because they are the one person I can always rely on, I can share all of my thoughts with them and enjoy all of the good moments, but also they are around to support me for the bad moments”.

Adrian from Germany said that there are many things in life that make him happy. One thing that makes him really happy in life is socialising with close friends and spending quality time with family.

Our social organiser Alice explained that her passion and the thing that makes her most happy is painting, especially when she can just unwind and paint in her art studio.

We then thought about the little things in life which keep people happy daily:

Hartmut explained that smiling people really gives him a lift - “seeing other people smiling can really make my day”.

Adrian said that good food and nice music always gives him a boost in his day. He also said “I really like when I can have a good talk, and also when I can joke with people”.

For Alice a simple walk on the seafront can do wonders. “I love to have a relaxed walk by myself on the seafront. Chocolate is also something I really enjoy!”