Social relationships are considered the key to happiness

Stating that issues such as the strength of social relationships, social trust, economic inequality and the effects of digital life have come to the fore in happiness research in recent years, Uzunkoca said, "Research shows that loneliness and social isolation significantly reduce happiness, as the level of trust in societies increases, average happiness increases, and happiness levels are lower in societies with high economic inequalities." Lecturer Member, Business and Organizational Psychologist Ülfet Uzunkoca, evaluated how the concept of happiness is handled on a global scale, the transformation in the understanding of development and the basic dynamics of happiness research in her evaluation on the occasion of March 20 World Happiness Day.

Happiness is not only an individual experience

Reminding that March 20 was declared as the International Day of Happiness by the United Nations in 2012, Uzunkoca said, "United Nations General Assembly No. 66/281 "This approach emphasizes that happiness is not only an individual experience but also an indicator of well-being that should be taken into account in public policies," he said. Arguing that measuring it only with Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is not sufficient, he instead proposed the concept of 'Gross National Happiness'. According to this approach, development gains meaning not only with economic growth, but also with the evaluation of factors such as social welfare, environmental sustainability and psychological well-being. This perspective has become more visible in international policy discussions, especially since the 2010s.

March 20 is symbolic. Meaning

Stating that choosing the date of March 20 also has a symbolic meaning, Uzunkoca said, "This date coincides with the spring equinox, where day and night are equal. The idea of balance represented by the equinox is a strong symbol that reminds us that prosperity and well-being should be shared balancedly among societies." Uzunkoca said, "This approach encourages taking into account well-being indicators as well as economic growth, reducing poverty, reducing inequalities, and considering sustainable development and psychological well-being together. For this reason, the World Happiness Report is published on these dates every year and well-being data are analyzed on a global scale." "It brings to the agenda the relationship between interactions and happiness and well-being, and draws attention to both the difficulties that social media can create and more constructive, more conscious and more positive ways of using it. At the same time, it points out that the care shown, the language used and the choices made in online relationships can make a difference at the individual and social levels. In this respect, the theme emphasizes that a happier and kinder social environment can be built not only face to face, but also in the digital world." concept

Stating that the World Happiness Report is based on scientific data, Dr. Lecturer Member Ülfet Uzunkoca said, "The World Happiness Report is published by the Wellbeing Research Center at Oxford University, in cooperation with Gallup, the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network) and an independent editorial board. The report largely uses Gallup World Poll data and collects data from more than 150 countries. The life evaluation question called 'Cantril Ladder' is used as the basis for measuring happiness.""Individuals are asked to evaluate their lives on a ladder between 0 and 10," he said.

Six basic variables are decisive

Stating that six basic variables stand out in explaining happiness levels, Uzunkoca said, "Per capita income, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom in life choices, generosity and perception of corruption are among the basic factors that determine happiness. "Social support, in particular, has a strong effect on happiness in terms of the presence of someone that individuals can trust in difficult times," he said.

New perspective in the understanding of development

Noting that World Happiness Day represents an important paradigm shift when viewed from the perspective of psychology, Dr. Lecturer Ülfet Uzunkoca said, "The relationship, which has been established as 'economic growth → well-being' in the understanding of development for a long time, is gradually being reconstructed with the perspective of 'well-being → sustainable society'." has begun to be considered. "This approach contributes to considering happiness not only as an individual feeling but also as an important indicator in terms of public policies, economy and social development," he said.

Social relations are the key to happiness

Stating that in recent years, topics such as the power of social relations, social trust, economic inequality and the effects of digital life have come to the fore in happiness research, Uzunkoca said, "Research shows that loneliness and social isolation significantly reduce happiness, as the level of trust in societies increases, average happiness increases and economic inequalities are high." It shows that happiness levels are lower in societies. "In addition, the relationship between social media use and well-being, especially in young generations, has become an increasingly researched area," he said.

Why are the happiest countries at the top?

Stating that certain countries stand out in world happiness rankings, Uzunkoca said, "Countries such as Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Sweden and the Netherlands generally rank at the top. "There are factors such as strong social security systems, high social trust and balanced work-life relationships behind this situation," he said.

Well-being is the key to sustainable societies

Uzkoca, emphasizing that this process represents an important paradigm shift in terms of psychology, said, "For many years, the understanding of 'economic growth brings well-being' was dominant. Today, the approach of 'well-being creates sustainable societies' comes to the fore. This means that happiness is not just an individual feeling; "It reveals that it is one of the basic indicators of social development," he said.