The World Happiness Report, published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, found that excessive use of social media negatively impacts our wellbeing.
“If you use social media for an hour a day, that’s great, you’re being connected,” says Michael Plant, Research Fellow at the Wellbeing Research Centre.
“But the report did show a correlation between, the more time you spend on social media the greater loss of wellbeing.”
“Automators like Meta risk no longer being an employer of choice as it’s being revealed that they will cut out the human when the opportunity presents itself,” said Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, professor of economics and behavioral science at University of Oxford. “Doing so might well lead to short-term cost savings but risks longer-term growth potential by undermining employee wellbeing and engagement.”
What can we learn from the happiest countries in the world? In this episode of the We Society podcast, Professor of Economics and Behavioural Science, Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, joins host Will Hutton to discuss the findings of the 2026 World Happiness Report and what we can learn for putting wellbeing at the heart of public policy.
The Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford and financial intelligence experts S&P Global have established a strategic collaboration to enable new research into how emerging technologies are changing the landscape of work.
The Wellbeing Research Centre is one of eight strategic collaborators announced today as part of the next phase of the three-year $10 million StepForward initiative between S&P Global and the S&P Global Foundation.
Launched in December 2025, StepForward aims to equip the next generation with the skills needed to succeed in an AI-enabled workforce by working through global and regional collaborators, complemented by skills-based volunteering that channels S&P Global employees’ expertise.
Strategic collaboration between S&P Global and the Wellbeing Research Centre will enable interdisciplinary study of multiple aspects of AI, data, and emerging technologies, as well as their knock-on effects on wellbeing at work and other indicators of business performance.
In particular, researchers will focus on how technological developments change and shape the job market, and identify the skills required for people to thrive in the AI era.
Funding will also support an academic prize for outstanding research in the domain of AI, wellbeing and the future of work. Further details of this student prize, including how to enter, will be announced by the Wellbeing Research Centre in due course.
Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, Professor of Economics and Behavioural at Saïd Business School and Director of the Wellbeing Research Centre, said: “AI has already fundamentally changed the world of work, but its impact on wellbeing remains poorly understood. This strategic collaboration enables us to take a closer look at how people respond to the opportunities – and challenges – that such emerging technologies may create.”
Girish Ganesan, Chief People Officer at S&P Global, said: “This collaboration reflects StepForward’s commitment to supporting organisations that drive innovation and impact. We’re proud to advance the Wellbeing Research Centre’s new interdisciplinary research, which will contribute to a deeper understanding of AI and the future of work.”
Find out more about the StepForward initiative at spglobal.com/en/who-we-are/corporate-responsibility/stepforward.
Dr Marc Schulz, Academic Visitor to the Wellbeing Research Centre, presented findings from the Harvard Study of Adult Development at Harris Manchester College’s 2026 Upton Lecture.
Using life stories and research findings, Dr Schulz shared how the Harvard Study (and other studies) point to relationships as a key foundation of the “good life”.
Leaders are making a choice with their AI strategy: Are they primarily seeking to improve the bottom line through automation and headcount reduction, or grow the top line in innovative ways through augmentation? As they make this decision, leaders are underestimating how employee perception—and the predictable behavioral dynamics that follow—will determine the success of their AI strategy. While automation strategies will likely show early gains relative to the deeper investment required for augmentation, but that augmentation will likely perform better in the long run. That’s because while automation offers immediate cost-savings, a company’s long-term success is determined by how people feel about their work, whether they meaningfully engage with new tools, and whether top talent stays.
We’ve been taught that success at work is what leads to happiness, but in reality, it’s how work actually feels that shapes the rest of our lives.
Jay sits down with Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, Professor of Economics and Behavioural Science at the University of Oxford and Director of the Wellbeing Research Centre, and almost immediately, they land on something most of us feel but rarely say out loud: work takes up the majority of our lives, yet very few of us actually feel good while doing it. Jan shares a striking reality – less than a quarter of people report high levels of wellbeing at work. More importantly, how you feel at work doesn’t stay there, it follows you home. It shapes how you speak to your partner, how you show up for your kids, even how you engage with the world around you. This conversation isn’t just about jobs or careers, it’s about the emotional tone of our lives, and ultimately, our society.
The event will be an Early Career Researcher (ECR) paper development workshop on the theme: ‘The Sociology of Work and Wellbeing’. Hosted at Harris Manchester College, University of Oxford, home of the Wellbeing Research Centre, this workshop will host up to 25 ECRs for an opportunity to present and develop their research papers on the theme and network with other ECRs in the South of England.
The workshop will explore how to revitalise sociological perspectives on work and wellbeing. The sociology of work has long been uniquely concerned with the question of wellbeing, more so than other fields of sociology. Yet in academic and policy debates on wellbeing, psychology, economics, and mainstream management studies dominate. Recent contributions (e.g. Tausig, 2013; Chamberlain et al., 2025) have gone some way to summarising the field as it stands now. However, several avenues remain either underexplored or disconnected from one another. This workshop will strive to enhance and strengthen the sociological voice on the topic by supporting empirical research and expanded theorisation.
The workshop will emphasise career development, including: a meet-the-editors session with the editors of leading British journals that publish the sociology of work; opportunities to network with other ECRs; and a panel or keynote with senior scholars to construct a longer-term view on the sociology of work and wellbeing.
For more details, visit the British Sociological Association’s website.
The report said that heavy social media use is linked to declining well-being among young people, particularly teenage girls in English-speaking and Western European countries.
The findings come as governments increasingly consider restrictions on social media use by minors.
Researchers said extensive social media use, especially more than seven hours per day, is associated with lower well-being, with algorithm-driven, image-focused platforms and influencer content cited as key factors.
Social media apps such as Instagram and TikTok, which encourage algorithm-driven scrolling, are worse for mental health than platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp, which prioritise social connection, according to an annual barometer of global happiness.
The World Happiness Report found excessive use of social media was causing unhappiness among young people across the world, although the impact was worse in English-speaking countries and western Europe.
Overall happiness levels in the UK were at the lowest level since the report was first published in 2012.
