It is a question that has eluded philosophers, scholars and scientists for thousands of years.
But now, researchers might be close to finally discovering the true secret to happiness.
Over 1,000 scientists from more than 70 countries have come together to lead the biggest happiness study ever attempted.
At least 30,000 participants from around the globe will be recruited to take part in the ‘Global Happiness Megastudy’.
Each participant will be assigned a short, daily ‘happiness intervention’ ranging from quick yoga routines to making time to call a relative.
By recruiting their subjects from a mixture of different backgrounds and nationalities, the researchers hope to find some universal trends that could expose the secret of what really makes humans happy.
Professor Elizabeth Dunn, a psychologist from the University of British Columbia who is working on the study, says: ‘Our goal is for this to be the largest, most comprehensive, most diverse experiment on happiness ever conducted.
‘If we find things that are universally effective, or that are at least effective in certain places, and identify what kinds of places those are, or what kinds of people benefit, it will be a huge leap forward for the science of happiness.’
Scientists could be on the brink of discovering the secret to happiness as they prepare to launch the biggest study of its kind ever attempted (stock image)
Over the last year, more than 1,000 scientists have submitted their proposals for what the study should look into.
Those ideas have now been whittled down to just 24 interventions broken down into seven different categories.
Each participant will either be assigned to a control group who will go about their lives as they were before, or to a group receiving one of these interventions.
These have been designed to take no more than 25 minutes per day, require no special equipment, and be completed entirely within the home.
The treatments include daily exercises such as yoga or high-intensity interval training and social changes like calling a loved one or speaking with an AI chatbot.
Principal investigator Dr Barnabás Szászi, of Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, told The Guardian: ‘All of the interventions can be done at home, people don’t need anyone watching them or helping them. That was a very conscious decision on our part.’
By recording a self-reported happiness assessment from each of the participants as they make these changes, the researchers hope to see what really makes a difference to someone’s happiness.
But what makes this study different from early investigations is the scale and diversity of the sample size.
Previous studies like the World Happiness Report (pictured) are based on people’s own assessment of their happiness, as well as economic and social data. What makes this study different is that it will use targeted interventions to see what measures improve happiness for people around the world
Each of the 30,000 participants will be assigned a short, daily ‘happiness intervention’ which range from a dose of high-intensity exercise to a 20-minute call with relatives (stock image)
The researchers point out that these previous studies have generally focused on countries which are ‘WEIRD’: Western, educated, industrialised, rich, and democratic.
However, when it comes to happiness, what brings a smile to someone from Manchester or New York might not be so effective for someone from Mombasa or New Delhi.
By widening their scope to include people from as many different backgrounds as possible, the researchers hope to pick up on any trends which hold true for someone no matter where they live.
Professor Dunn says: ‘What will we have at the end of it? We will have the largest and most diverse dataset ever collected on the strategies that promote happiness.
‘How effective are these strategies? Do they work everywhere? Do some work extremely well for a small group of people and barely do anything for many others?’
Already, more diverse happiness studies are helping scientists understand the mysteries of happiness.
Earlier this year, researchers from Barcelona and Canada surveyed 2,966 people from indigenous and local communities in 19 locations across the globe.
Their results found that people in these small, indigenous communities showed surprisingly high levels of happiness despite living in relative poverty.
An earlier study looking at small indigenous communities around the world (pictured) found that money might not be as important for happiness as had been thought as these areas ranked among some of the happiest in the world
A previous survey of 2,966 people from Indigenous and local communities in 19 locations across the globe, found that people were very happy despite having little to no money
Economic growth and higher household incomes have historically been seen as a way to increase people’s well-being – and global surveys have shown people in high-income countries tend to report higher levels of happiness than people in low-income countries.
However, this evidence could challenge assumptions that higher Gross Domestic Product (GDP), a monetary measure of the value of a country’s yearly production, is a reliable measure of happiness.
Instead, researchers suggest that factors like a connection to nature and a strong social network could be far more valuable than material wealth.
If their research is successful, the Global Happiness Megastudy could lead to even more valuable insights into cheap, reliable ways of making people’s lives noticeably better.
With the basic work now complete, Professor Dunn, Dr Szászi and their co-researchers are looking for funding to take the project to its next step.
According to their plans, a report detailing their intended methods will be published in a major academic journal with actual research to begin shortly afterwards.
