International Day of Happiness

Mar. 20 marks the fifth international day of happiness being celebrated, with the purpose of creating a cheerier world. The intent of World Happiness Day is to create a shift in attitudes all around the world, and make a goal to improve people’s mental health. The event was first celebrated in 2013, marking the beginning of celebrating cheerfulness worldwide.
“International Day of Happiness has struck a chord. There were celebrations all over the world: meditation in Bhutan, happy flash mobs in London, laughter yoga in Hong Kong and screenings of the film Happy in coffee shops all over the world.”, a USAToday article said after the first celebration in 2013.
The event was founded by Jayme Illien and is coordinated by Action for Happiness, which is run by people from 160 different countries with the same idea and goal of creating a happier world and life for everyone. It is encouraged to share photos on instagram and twitter using hashtags such as #internationaldayofhappiness #happinessday #choosehappiness #createhappiness and #makeithappy.
Most years have followed themes of focusing your happiness on specific purposes. 2013 focused on Happy Heroes, celebrating heroes in people’s community who bring happiness to others. 2014 was focused around separating fake media produced images to real life, with the theme of Reclaiming Happiness. 2015 was based off of happiness in relationships. The organization has 5 steps they believe that are key to happiness, which includes doing what makes you happy, spreading happiness, telling everybody about this day, celebrating the day of happiness, and supporting their campaign partners.
The event has grown from 2013 until now, and hopes to keep growing larger, instilling the ideas, values, and principles of being and living a happy life.