Believing in the kindness of others is key to happiness, according to the world’s foremost study on global wellbeing.
The 2025 World Happiness Report was published last week, with Finland topping its ‘happiest countries’ list for the eighth year in a row. The study by the University of Oxford’s Wellbeing Research Centre in partnership with Gallup - which analyzes over 100,000 people’s responses from more than 140 countries, ranks countries based on inhabitants’ perceived quality of life on a scale of zero to 10 - also delved into what exactly puts smiles on our faces.
It found that acts of benevolence and positive social connections are key to happiness. Indeed, this year's survey also revealed that we are happier when we believe we are living in a caring community, and found that people are generally kinder than most of us expect.
For the first time, the 2025 World Happiness Report took into account someone’s trust that a lost wallet would be returned in their country. John F. Helliwell - an economist at the University of British Columbia and a founding editor of the World Happiness Report - is a long-time lost wallet researcher. The idea is that, if you drop your wallet in the street and someone picks it up and gives it back to you, the likelihood is, the nation has a higher sense of happiness. ‘The wallet data are so convincing because they confirm that people are much happier living where they think people care about each other,’ Helliwell says.
“Happiness isn’t just about wealth or growth - it’s about trust, connection and knowing people have your back,” said Gallup CEO Jon Clifton. “This year’s report proves we underestimate how kind the world really is. If we want stronger communities and economies, we must invest in what truly matters: each other.”
It's not just mental wellbeing, a report from 2021 demonstrates that kindness is also good for physical wellbeing.