This year has had its own page on Wikipedia since 2009 thanks to speculation about the Mayan Calendar, which gave rise to the 2012 phenomenon.  It’s also an Olympic year, a Leap year, the year of the Dragon, Alan Turing year, International year of cooperatives and of course, the year the Happy City Initiative runs rampant.

In the wake of our statement to Bristol City Council last week announcing our intention to showcase Bristol as a Global Leader in Happiness within the next two years, it’s interesting to look at Seattle’s first stab at measuring happiness.  Sadly, a good article is spoiled by the final quote, which makes the common mistake of confusing happiness with pleasure.  If we’re not addressing social and environmental issues, we’re not properly addressing Happiness.

By Miriam Akhtar

By Sam Wren-Lewis

By Andy Wistreich, Society Correspondent for the Happy City Initiative

My son came back from Thailand the other day, with tales of the terrible floods.  A huge area north of Bangkok is underwater, causing disruptions and suffering in countless people’s lives and economic damage estimated so far at $10bn.

It began with exceptional rains in China and Thailand causing rivers to flood.  The many dams and reservoirs on the rivers have made the rivers’ behaviour unpredictable, making effective intervention difficult. 

By Mike Zeidler

‘World Leaders’ are just like us. They’re ordinary people who happen to have a bit more ambition than most and a really strong desire to lead.  They also like to be successful.  Really successful.  Right now, if you’re a ‘World Leader’, you’ve got a major problem on your hands because you’re in a job where the chief measures of success are so unrealistic that you’re pretty much certain to fail.

Spreading the Health Virus

Reviewed by Becky Walsh.

By Mike Zeidler

In 2009, Britain as a whole ranked 74th happiest country in the world according to the Happy Planet Index.  Luckily for Britain, the Happy City Initiative was already forming in Bristol’s thriving culture of creative innovation.  The people of Bristol are now poised to help the country out.