Let’s work together to create a happier world
The Happier Lives Institute connects donors, researchers, and policymakers with the most cost-effective opportunities to increase global wellbeing.
Double your donation on Giving Tuesday
Our recommended charities for 2023 are:
StrongMinds, a non-profit providing cheap, effective treatment for women struggling with depression in Uganda and Zambia.
Against Malaria Foundation, which funds, and helps coordinate, the distribution of long-lasting insecticidal bednets to help prevent malaria in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, South and Central America, and Oceania.
Double your donation on Giving Tuesday
Our recommended charities for 2023 are:
StrongMinds, a non-profit providing cheap, effective treatment for women struggling with depression in Uganda and Zambia.
Against Malaria Foundation, which funds, and helps coordinate, the distribution of long-lasting insecticidal bednets to help prevent malaria in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, South and Central America, and Oceania.
Measuring what matters
Most people agree that happiness matters.
You might think it is the only thing that matters.
Over the last 30 years, pioneering academics in economics, philosophy, and psychology have tested and developed reliable measures of happiness and life satisfaction.
Today, large population surveys allow us to measure and track wellbeing across the world. We can stop relying on measures of wealth or health as our best guess for how people’s lives are going.
But what is wellbeing and how can we measure it?
You can make a difference
The cost-effective interventions we’ve identified may surprise you.
Our research shows that treating depression in low-income countries is nine times more cost-effective than providing direct cash transfers.
Our latest news and research
Happier Lives Institute Responds to Trump Administration Shutting Down USAID
As the only organisation looking to apply wellbeing science to improve happiness globally, we’ve been analysing the recent announcement of USAID funding withdrawal to understand what it means for donors who trust us to guide their giving towards having maximum impact. Understanding the Impact of Closing USAID The United States has historically been the world's largest aid provider, funding programmes that improve lives across the globe. While we've always championed more effective ... Read more
Stealing Happiness? The wellbeing cost-effectiveness of NEPI, preventing crime with cash and cognitive behavioural therapy
Explore our cost-effectiveness analysis of NEPI's innovative programme combining cash transfers and CBT to reduce crime in Liberia. With strong RCT evidence showing significant benefits to both recipients and the wider community, we estimate 22 WELLBYs per $1,000 donated. Read the report to learn how this promising intervention improves wellbeing and reduces criminality over the long term. Read more
Does improving parenting practices in childhood lead to happier adults?
The experiences we have as young children are widely recognized as having lasting impacts in later life. Supporting parents to engage with their children shows clear short-term developmental benefits and may have profound long-term effects on wellbeing, as well as health and achievement later in life. This report evaluates icddr,b's Reach Up parenting programme. Download and read the report to explore the Happier Lives Institute’s cost-effectiveness analysis, measuring the programme’s ... Read more
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