↗️ A single, focused measure of life satisfaction is essential to meaningfully improve lives. Catch World Happiness Report editor John Helliwell on the Lives Well Lived podcast with Peter Singer and Kasia de Lazari Radek. 👇 https://www.petersinger.info/podcast

🎊 With America turning 250 earlier this month, we’ve been reflecting on its happiness performance. Did you know you can access all the available data for each country through our dashboard? Track your country's journey. 👇 https://data.worldhappiness.report/map

Test the power of happiness for yourself. 👋 Start a conversation with a stranger, and see how you feel after.

🤳 Social media use in the Middle East and North Africa is among the highest in the world, although considerable differences appear among countries. On average, heavy social media use (more than five hours per day) is associated with lower wellbeing, but the impact depends on how it is used.

In the case of social media, reviewing and translating research into policy guidance is a challenging process. Effective evidence-based policy development requires clear and accurate information on what science can and cannot tell us about key questions of societal importance.

NEW: We’ve assembled a global team of leading researchers on #happiness and public policy for World Happiness Report 2027.

For World Happiness Report 2027, experts from across the globe will share examples of national-level and sector-specific policies that aim to promote happiness, and examine the impact they have had. Read more 👉 https://ow.ly/pTPB50Zm19Q Subscribe 👉 https://ow.ly/ZWzg50Zm19J

What are Finland and the other Nordic countries getting right?

Ch8 of #WHR2026 finds the estimated relationship between internet use and #wellbeing varies sharply across generations, genders, and regions. It is strongly negative for Gen Z, moderately negative for Millennials, near zero for Gen X, and slightly positive for Baby Boomers.

Many popular social media platforms have shifted from social connection to algorithmic feeds, a move which appears to be harming users. 🤝 We need to put the social back into social media.

⬆️ Since the first years of the Gallup World Poll (2006-2010), 21 countries have gained a point or more on the 0–10 scale. Most of these countries are in Central and Eastern Europe, reflecting the European happiness convergence that has been clear for more than a decade.

😕 The social media platforms that have lost sight of the ‘social’ aspect appear to be more harmful to our happiness than those that facilitate social connection. Tune into World Happiness Report editor John Helliwell on the Lives Well Lived podcast, out now. petersinger.info/podcast

👤 Is social media use driven by FOMO? @casssunstein.bsky.social suggests that FOMO (fear of missing out) is a major driver for social media users to stay logged in, proposing that, if users could coordinate and agree to stop using Instagram or TikTok, many would be better off.

😟 Three empirical studies raise serious doubts about whether social media use makes people happy. Explore the idea of social media use as a 'product trap' in Ch6 of #WHR2026, written by @casssunstein.bsky.social. 👇 https://ow.ly/j2Tf50Z9Zmx

Globally, the relationship between Problematic Social Media Use (PSMU) and lower wellbeing is stronger among adolescents from lower socioeconomic backgrounds than among their higher-status peers. Explore Ch7 of #WHR2026 👉 https://ow.ly/kHmF50Z9Ncl

Research by @casssunstein.bsky.social suggests that many people use social media because other people use social media and that, if social media use were somehow reduced or even stopped, many people believe they would be better off. Read #WHR2026 Ch 6 👉 https://ow.ly/NWGf50Z36cn

☝️ One simple question effectively captures what matters most: how satisfied people are with their lives.

🤔Thinking of submitting a chapter proposal for World Happiness Report 2027? World Happiness Report offers a unique chance for wellbeing experts to come together over an important topic each year. Don’t just take our word for it, swipe to hear from previous authors.👇 (1/3)

⏮️ A 2024 survey by the Pew Research Center revealed positive and negative experiences of social media among US teens, but the Harris Poll found between one-third to one-half of US Gen Z adults wish that some of the platforms they use each day had never existed.

We are seeking global examples of how public expenditure can best promote the happiness of the people, for World Happiness Report 2027. 📃 Please submit your proposal by Sunday 31 May for the opportunity to write your own chapter in the report. https://ow.ly/e4bE50Z06XL

🧑‍⚖️ World Happiness Report 2027 will investigate the existing and potential impact of public policy on happiness. Read more and submit your chapter proposal 👉 https://mailchi.mp/worldhappiness.report/may-2026 Subscribe 👉 https://worldhappiness.report/subscribe/

The distribution of light, moderate, and heavy social media users is broadly similar around the world. Latin America (24.2%) is home to the highest proportion of heavy users (5+ hours), as well as the Middle East and North Africa (20.2%).

👧📉 Heavy social media use is associated with lower life satisfaction among girls across the globe. Among boys, this significant negative trend is only observed in Western Europe and English-speaking countries.

The average US teen spends almost five hours a day on social media, according to recent Gallup data. With established links between heavy social media use and lower #wellbeing among the young in English-speaking countries, is this level of use safe?

🇲🇽 In Mexico, higher WhatsApp & Facebook use is associated with higher positive affect. WhatsApp is further associated with lower negative affect and mental health problems. X, Instagram & TikTok use is linked with significantly higher negative affect and mental health problems.

Professional science organisations have reached different conclusions and policy recommendations on social media, despite examining similar research. Sophie Lloyd-Hurwitz and Andrew Przybylski (Oxford Internet Institute) identified six good governance practices in Ch4 #WHR2026.

The link between social media use and #wellbeing across the globe is complex, and depends heavily on what platforms are being used, by who, and how. ☝️One thing is clear: we need to put the ‘social’ back into social media.

The impact of social media on wellbeing depends on how you use it. Active use, to fuel social connection, has a much more positive association with life satisfaction than passive use.

🫂 In Latin America, social media platforms that drive social connection have a generally positive and significant association with life satisfaction, while those designed with algorithmic content are generally less positive. Explore Ch2 of #WHR2026 👉 https://ow.ly/LKOC50YEy1e

👷 Improving your own life satisfaction isn’t just about fixing what is broken. It’s also about treasuring and building upon what is already good. Both matter, a lot.