What is happiness? Probably, each person who attempts to answer this question will come up with their own unique response, as happiness, in a certain sense, is something individual, personal, and inimitable. On the other hand, there is a common idea of happiness that is shared by the vast majority of people: happiness is having good health, love, sufficient wealth, and so on.
Did you know that all over the world, there are ways to ‘practice happiness’? NeoMam Studios has undertaken a project called ‘It’s the Little Things in Life: Happiness Practices Around the World,’ which explores what 10 different countries do to find happiness.
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#1 Japan
We reached out to Taylor Tomita from NeoMam Studios to gather more information about this project. We were curious to learn about the inspiration behind the project, which focuses on happiness practices around the world and highlights the small moments in daily life. Tomita explained: “Since 2004, CashNetUSA has been dedicated to providing lines of credit to help hardworking people save the day when surprise expenses arise. The CashNetUSA team runs SavingSpot, a blog where they offer expert personal finance tips to help their readers get ahead. This project was part of a campaign where we were looking for things people could do to improve their lives without spending money.”
#2 Nigeria
#3 Norway
We were wondering if, in their research and creative process, the authors of the project came across any particularly unique or unexpected ways people find happiness in different cultures. Taylor shared with us: “When we started our research, we found many concepts that were similar across cultures or perhaps more well-known to the vast majority of people. The 10 ‘little things’ we ended up choosing to illustrate were the most unique and unexpected of the bunch.”
#4 Germany
#5 France: ‘Aperitif’
Next, we wanted to know Taylor’s opinion on how incorporating these simple joys into daily routines can improve the quality of life for individuals. We learned that: “Many of these ‘little things’ people can do come with noticing and appreciating their surroundings as well as connecting with those they love. Both of those have been found to lead to greater happiness and improved mental health. Take Norway’s friluftsliv as an example (the concept of spending time in nature); research shows that spending time in nature is linked to both cognitive benefits and improvements in mood, mental health, and emotional well-being.”
#6 Spain
#7 Turkey
Lastly, we asked Taylor how NeoMam Studios hopes this series inspires people to appreciate and incorporate more moments of happiness into their own lives, and we were told that: “In a world where everything seems to come with a price tag, we hope this series will help those who are going through a difficult time finding one thing they can do right now to help them brighten up their day without the need to spend money.”
#8 Bosnia And Herzegovina
#9 Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil
#10 Russia
