The Happiness Foundation

Creating a future where happiness, wellbeing & fulfilment are at the centre of society.

The Happiness Foundation is creating a future where happiness, wellbeing and fulfilment are at the centre of society. We’re partnered with Oxford’s Future of Humanity Institute, the Royal College of Art and the World Economic Forum.

Status Quo

For the last millennia, productivity has been the North Star metric for human progress. And for good reason: more production meant more food, water, shelter; better lives, and more happiness.

But as technology has accelerated exponentially, these basic needs have become increasingly satisfied in the developed world.

Continuing to optimise for production alone is now a dangerous game, and we’re already feeling its consequences…

• 40% of adults are struggling with mental health or substance abuse

• AI is predicted to kill off 375m jobs in the next decade

• Global inequality is increasing in 70% of the world

• Big tech has engineered a global social media addiction

• And policy driven by GDP is killing long-term sustainability

Underlying all these problems is a broken economic system, one that optimises for profit over happiness.

(Please note: in this article, we use “happiness” as a catch-all word for the many nuances of wellbeing, fulfilment, joy, contentment, life satisfaction etc.)

Our Vision

At the dawn of the 4th Industrial Revolution, we’re now at a historic inflection point: as technology continues to accelerate, so will these issues, but if we can change what we’re optimising for, we can redirect the future of humanity.

Our vision is to create a future where happiness is at the centre of society: where profit and wellbeing are no longer competing, and technology is a facilitator of fulfilment.

Imagine a 2050 where a trillion-dollar company was creating a trillion dollars of happiness; where work felt meaningful and fulfilling for everyone; where wellbeing was part of our educational infrastructure; where happiness was our starting point, versus something to be pursued.

As science and technology continue to expand our understanding and capacity, this blue-sky thinking is no longer wishful utopianism. If history has taught us anything, it’s that there are very few — if any — true limits that we as a species cannot overcome when united in purpose.

Humanity has lifted billions out of poverty, taken steps on the moon, and sent robots to Mars — this is our next step forward.

The Plan

Our 4-step plan will translate cutting-edge research & moonshot thinking into system-shifting, real-world impact via policy, technology and education.

1 — Research

Our Happiness Think Tank is partnered with Oxford’s Future of Humanity Institute, the Royal College of Art, and the World Economic Forum.

We are currently working to answer several critical research questions:

• What really is happiness? And how can we measure it?
• Could we eventually replace GDP with a happiness metric?
• What could replace data-driven advertising for Big Tech?
• How can we redesign technology for improved wellbeing?
• What will fulfilment and purpose look like after AI has eliminated conventional jobs?

By 2050: we will have established the science of happiness as a leading interdisciplinary research field and developed a precision understanding of what constitutes happiness and how we can effectively increase it.

2 — Policy

Our Consulting & Advisory branch will then translate this research into influential policy for governments and corporates.

We are already working with the Estonian government and World Economic Forum, speaking at Davos later this year, and developing the Happiness Score — a new standard to assess whether a company is improving its users’ happiness or not.

By 2050: new companies will need to meet happiness standards to verify their positive impact, and a government department for happiness will be as normal as a department for education.

3 — Technology

Our Happiness Incubator will work with startups, to transform our academic insights into impactful technologies.

We have already identified several interesting opportunities based on current research, including:

• Personality testing to find your “tribe”, the 10 people you just click with
• AI-powered psychotherapy and life-coaching
• Personalised predictive healthcare, helping users make simple changes to preempt future health problems

Our 6-month incubation programme will provide grant financing, network access & mentorship, office space, and will follow our unique development methodology to create happiness-enhancing technology.

By 2050: our incubated startups will meaningfully impact the happiness, wellbeing, and fulfilment of over a billion users worldwide.

4 — Education

Our Wellbeing School will translate cutting-edge science from our academics into practical steps for optimal wellbeing.

This information will be distributed via corporate wellbeing programmes and social media, empowering everyone with the science to take care of their mental and physical health.

We are currently working with Google, who love our wellbeing workshops.

And our virtual Happiness Festival — partnered with Talks at Google, featuring speakers such as Derren Brown, Dr Barry Schwartz and Shawn Anchor — has reached an audience of 100,000.

Derren Brown, on the psychology of happiness

By 2050: lessons from the Wellbeing School will be taught at schools, as part of the national curriculum, and “wellbeing at work” policies will be followed by all companies.

Get Involved

Career Opportunities

We are recruiting Research Analysts, Social Media Managers, Event & Community Managers, Venture Analysts, Venture Associates and volunteers.

If you are interested in any of the roles, please contact team@solvehappy.org

(Note: there is also a £1000 referral bonus if you refer a friend who is successfully hired.)

Partnerships

We are raising £3m from philanthropists, corporates and funds.

If you believe you can connect us to potential donors, or would like to a make a donation yourself, please contact team@solvehappy.org

Individuals can also make smaller donations here, to support our cause.

Companies

We are looking for startups and more established companies to pilot our wellbeing programmes, Happiness Score framework and Happy Product methodology.

If interested in testing these services, please email team@solvehappy.org

Ideas & Feedback

We are open to the very craziest of ideas, and always interested in feedback. If you have anything to share with us, please email team@solvehappy.org

Learn more

Check out our website, YouTube channel, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram to learn more about our work.