It may be difficult to think much about the concept of happiness in troubled times like these, with a war raging in Ukraine and the world still battling its biggest health crisis in a century.
But this year's World Happiness Report -- released on Friday -- shows these tough times have led to more people helping others. And this surge in benevolence may actually end up making the world a happier place in the long run.
The annual report, which relies heavily on Gallup World Poll data, documents strong growth in three "acts of kindness" during the pandemic: helping strangers, volunteering time to organizations and donating money to charities. The percentages of people who said they engaged in these activities increased in every part of the world -- exceeding their pre-pandemic levels by almost 25%.
In addition to looking at happiness, benevolence and trust during the pandemic, the latest report reveals its current list of the world's happiest countries, looks back on the past decade of happiness research and offers new insights from the first global survey of balance and harmony.
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