On March 20, 2016, countries around the world celebrated the International Day of Happiness—an internationally recognized event founded by the United Nations in 2012. It’s currently being coordinated by Action for Happiness with one goal: To spread happiness around the world.
Being firm advocates of happiness, MediaMiser wanted to know exactly which topics were being discussed most in the media this weekend. Using its media monitoring and analysis software, MediaMiser analyzed over 1,200 online news articles between March 18 and March 21, 2016
Here are the four most popular topics in online news articles mentioning International Day of Happiness:
Angry Birds
With just shy of 600 online news mentions, the United Nation’s decision to name the Red—a character from the beloved mobile game Angry Birds as the Honorary Ambassador of Green was the most popular media topic the 2016 International Day of Happiness weekend. The campaign concept of “Red going green” was created to demonstrate a direct correspondence between climate change and people’s happiness—Red begins his virtual world tour on March 21.
Happiness (who would have thought?)
Everyone loves listicles, and what’s more appropriate on the International Day of Happiness than to publish a bunch on how to be happier? Online news was flooded with articles like:
- 20 tiny moments that instantly boost your happiness
- 5 science-backed strategies for more happiness
- 6 things to know about being happy
- Six habits that will make you happier
- 6 ways to celebrate the International Day of Happiness
- 23 cats that won’t fail to make you feel happy on International Day of Happiness
We’re sure after reading just a few of these that your day will become a little brighter, too.
The UAE
This weekend, The United Arab Emirates (UAE) shared its national progress on happiness with the United Nations. The newly appointed Minister of State for Happiness, Ohood bint Khalfan Al Roumi, has written a 100-day plan for happiness, which includes to fund more efforts in gender equality, promoting healthy lifestyles and furthering overall well being in the UAE.
Happiest countries in the world
To celebrate the International Day of Happiness, the United Nations released its 2016 World Happiness Report. The report, written in conjunction with Gallup Poll, analyzes various aspects of culture, economy and demographics to produce a list of the 40 happiest countries in the world. Read the full report here.
