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Why Workplace Wellbeing Matters

Jan-Emmanuel De Neve and George Ward

Most of us spend a third of our waking lives at work. Work shapes our schedules, relationships, identities, and economies – but is it actually making us happy?

This crucial question is explored in depth by leading Oxford researchers George Ward and Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, who provide the richest, most comprehensive picture of workplace wellbeing yet.

In Why Workplace Wellbeing Matters, the authors clarify what workplace wellbeing is (and is not) and offer a framework for how businesses can approach and improve it. Drawing on extensive, large-scale data – including the world’s largest dataset on employee wellbeing, gathered in partnership with the jobs platform Indeed – the book reveals the remarkable ways in which wellbeing at work varies across workers, occupations, companies, and industries.

The authors present new, evidence-based insights into the origins of workplace wellbeing and how businesses can enhance the employee experience. Drawing on work from multiple academic disciplines, they show that workplace wellbeing encompasses both how we think about our work as a whole and how we feel while doing it. Their research demonstrates that improving wellbeing can boost productivity, aid in talent retention and recruitment, and ultimately improve financial performance.

With in-depth analysis and keen insight, Ward and De Neve debunk myths and test assumptions amidst an often-confusing cacophony of voices on wellbeing at work. Why Workplace Wellbeing Matters provides a firm foundation and indispensable resource for leaders seeking to shape the future of work.

Why Workplace Wellbeing Matters published by HBR Press

Business books: what to read this month

Financial Times

The growth and extent of workplace interventions claiming to improve employee health — from mindfulness to yoga — is enough to cause any manager a headache. But while the costs and the uptake of programmes have surged, the evidence for their effectiveness has not.

The authors, two Oxford-based academics, guide readers through confusion over definitions, data, causes and outcomes in a field that remains poorly researched, and overcrowded with assertions that are far from rigorous.

They have done some of the best analysis in the field seeking to understand the drivers of wellbeing, and its links to productivity. Pay and flexibility in employee location are important, according to this book. But the writers also suggest a sense of belonging, the ability to achieve goals, and genuine trust between colleagues, are even more effective in keeping us happy at work.

World Happiness Report 2025: People are much kinder than we expect, research shows

Belief in the kindness of others is much more closely tied to happiness than previously thought, according to findings published today (20 March) in World Happiness Report 2025.

Global evidence on the perceived and actual return of lost wallets shows that people are much too pessimistic about the kindness of their communities compared to reality. Actual rates of wallet return are around twice as high as people expect.

Believing that others are willing to return your lost wallet is also shown to be a strong predictor of population happiness: Nordic nations once again top the ranking of the world’s happiest countries, but they also rank among the top places for expected and actual return of lost wallets.

The findings are published today to mark the UN’s International Day of Happiness. They are powered by Gallup World Poll data and other sources, including the Lloyd’s Register Foundation World Risk Poll, and analysed by leading experts in wellbeing science.

Further results published in this 13th edition of the World Happiness Report, focused on the theme of “caring and sharing”, include:

  • Sharing meals with others is strongly linked with wellbeing across all global regions, but the number of people dining alone in the United States has increased 53% over the past two decades.
  • Household size is closely linked to happiness. Four to five people living together enjoy the highest levels of happiness in Mexico and Europe, but many people in Europe are living on their own.
  • In 2023, 19% of young adults across the world reported having no one they could count on for social support. This is a 39% increase compared to 2006.
  • Deaths of despair are less frequent in countries where benevolent acts are more frequent.
  • Declining happiness and social trust in the US and parts of Europe combine to explain the rise and direction of political polarisation and anti-system votes.
  • The cost-effectiveness of charities varies dramatically. Some charities are hundreds of times better at increasing happiness per dollar than others.

World Happiness Report 2025 also contains a ranking of the world’s happiest countries. Finland leads the world in happiness for the eighth year in a row, with Finns reporting an average score of 7.736 (out of 10) when asked to evaluate their lives.

Costa Rica (6th) and Mexico (10th) both enter the top 10 for the first time, while continued upward trends for countries such as Lithuania (16th), Slovenia (19th) and Czechia (20th) underline the convergence of happiness levels between Eastern, Central and Western Europe.

The United States (24th) falls to its lowest-ever position, with the United Kingdom (23rd) reporting its lowest average life evaluation since the 2017 report.

Country rankings are based on a three-year average of each population’s average assessment of their quality of life. Interdisciplinary experts from economics, psychology, sociology and beyond then seek to explain the variations across countries and over time using factors such as GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy, having someone to count on, a sense of freedom, generosity and perceptions of corruption.

These factors help to explain the differences across nations, while the rankings themselves are based solely on the answers people give when asked to rate their own lives.

Lara B. Aknin, professor of social psychology at Simon Fraser University, and an editor of the World Happiness Report, said: “Human happiness is driven by our relationships with others. Investing in positive social connections and engaging in benevolent actions are both matched by greater happiness.”

John F. Helliwell, an economist at the University of British Columbia, a founding editor of the World Happiness Report, and a long-time lost wallet researcher, said: “The wallet data are so convincing because they confirm that people are much happier living where they think people care about each other. The wallet dropping experiments confirm the reality of these perceptions, even if they are everywhere too pessimistic.”

Jon Clifton, CEO of Gallup, said: “Happiness isn’t just about wealth or growth — it’s about trust, connection and knowing people have your back. 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.”

Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, director of Oxford’s Wellbeing Research Centre, professor of economics at the University of Oxford, and an editor of the World Happiness Report, said: “This year’s report pushes us to look beyond traditional determinants like health and wealth. It turns out that sharing meals and trusting others are even stronger predictors of wellbeing than expected. In this era of social isolation and political polarisation we need to find ways to bring people around the table again — doing so is critical for our individual and collective wellbeing.”

Jeffrey D. Sachs, President of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University and a founding editor of the World Happiness Report, said: “The findings in this year’s World Happiness Report reconfirm a fundamental truth: happiness is rooted in trust, kindness, and social connection. It is up to us as virtuous individuals and citizens to translate this vital truth into positive action, thereby fostering peace, civility, and wellbeing in communities worldwide.”

The World Happiness Report is published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, in partnership with Gallup, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network and an independent editorial board.

The editorial board consists of John F. Helliwell (University of British Columbia), Richard Layard (London School of Economics and Political Science), Jeffrey D. Sachs (Columbia University), Jan-Emmanuel De Neve (University of Oxford), Lara B. Aknin (Simon Fraser University), and Shun Wang (Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University).

Read the report in full at worldhappiness.report.

Giving to others: How to convert your money into greater happiness for others


Michael Plant, Joel McGuire, Samuel Dupret, Ryan Dwyer, and Ben Stewart

Abstract

We hope that if you’re reading this, you’re not just interested in world happiness, you want to do something about it. But, what can you do? This chapter focuses on something many of us already do and nearly all of us can do: give to charity. Each year, over a billion people donate more than $500 billion to charity, driven in large part by a desire to help others.

However, there are many worthy problems in the world, our resources are limited, and we don’t want to waste our money. So, how can you get real change for your dollar? More specifically, how can you make the biggest difference to world happiness with what you have to spare?

People say “money can’t buy happiness”. At the Happier Lives Institute, we reject that claim but with a twist. We show that money can buy happiness for other people and we highlight the ‘best buys’ that have been identified so far. To do this, we compare the impact of charities using wellbeing-years (WELLBYs) per dollar, a method we will explain in due course.

The World Happiness Report is published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, in partnership with Gallup, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network and an independent editorial board.

Any views expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect the views of any organisation, agency, or program of the United Nations.

Sharing meals with others: How sharing meals supports happiness and social connections


Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, Andrew Dugan, Micah Kaats, and Alberto Prati

Abstract

In this chapter, we explore links between sharing meals, social connections, and wellbeing. Although the topic of sharing meals has remained relatively understudied in the academic literature, the connection between food and social relationships is far from new. In French, copain (friend) and in Italian compagno (mate) come from the Latin cum+‎pānis, literally “with-bread”. The Chinese term for companion/partner, 伙伴, stems from a similar term (火伴) which literally translates to “fire mate”, a reference to sharing meals over a campfire.

The World Happiness Report is published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, in partnership with Gallup, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network and an independent editorial board.

Any views expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect the views of any organisation, agency, or program of the United Nations.

Caring and sharing: Global analysis of happiness and kindness

John F. Helliwell, Lara B. Aknin, Haifang Huang, Max Norton, Shun Wang, Felix Cheung, Yeeun Archer Lee, and Sara Konrath

Abstract

This year, we present several strands of evidence on our theme of caring and sharing. First, we deliver our usual rankings of nations in terms of the average life evaluations of their residents, along with our modelling of how differences across countries and over time are connected to a variety of life circumstances and the prevalence of positive and negative emotions. The main life circumstances we consider continue to be GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy, having someone to count on, having a sense of freedom to make key life decisions, average frequency of donations, and perceptions of corruption in government and business.

Next, we present rankings (using 2022–2024 data) for the three benevolent acts covered in every Gallup World Poll plus national perceptions, from the 2019 Lloyd’s Register Foundation World Risk Poll, of the likelihood of the return of a lost wallet if found by: (a) a neighbour, (b) a stranger, or (c) a police officer. As we shall see, each of these three wallet questions captures different aspects of society. The benevolence of neighbours represents the local social context, while expected wallet return by strangers reflects the broader social fabric. The expectation of wallet return by a police officer captures the perceived honesty and benevolence of an important public institution. We later track time trends of the three Gallup World Poll benevolence measures from 2006 through 2024.

We then survey the large literature that considers the conditions under which benevolent acts are likely to be of more benefit to givers and receivers. In doing so, we present evidence on the link between individual benevolent actions, wellbeing, and the social context.

The World Happiness Report is published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, in partnership with Gallup, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network and an independent editorial board.

Any views expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect the views of any organisation, agency, or program of the United Nations.

World Happiness Report 2025: Executive summary


John F. Helliwell, Richard Layard, Jeffrey D. Sachs, Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, Lara B. Aknin and Shun Wang

Abstract

In this year’s issue, we focus on the impact of caring and sharing on people’s happiness. Like ‘mercy’ in Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, caring is “twice-blessed” – it blesses those who give and those who receive. In this report, we investigate both of these effects: the benefits to the recipients of caring behaviour and the benefits to those who care for others.

There is a wealth of evidence about the extent of caring behaviour around the world. In the Gallup World Poll, people are asked if, in the last month, they gave money to charity, if they volunteered, and if they helped a stranger. They were also asked, in 2019, if they think other people would help them by returning their lost wallet.

Some key findings jump out of the data.

The World Happiness Report is published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, in partnership with Gallup, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network and an independent editorial board.

Any views expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect the views of any organisation, agency, or program of the United Nations.

Work Culture in an Era of Mass Layoffs

Psychology Today

According to Jan-Emmanuel de Neve and George Ward, authors of a new book called Why Workplace Wellbeing Matters: The Science Behind Employee Happiness and Organizational Performance, workplace wellbeing is not just about free lunchtime yoga classes and ping pong tables in the breakroom. And while flextime and remote work have a positive impact on employees’ ability to juggle professional and personal responsibilities, it is the way we view our work that has the most influence on our wellbeing.

Researchers share initial findings from landmark happiness study

  • In its next phase, the Health and Happiness Study aims to collect wellbeing data from over 10,000 global participants using surveys, smartphones, and wearable devices.

Researchers at Harvard and Oxford universities today (Saturday) announced early results from the Health and Happiness Study – the first large-scale study of its kind, which seeks to identify predictors of happiness and wellbeing using data from smartphones and Garmin smartwatches.

The pilot study, primarily comprised of Garmin associates in North America and Europe, revealed several statistically significant findings. And while initial results need to be corroborated through the larger global study, they illustrated an important relationship between sleep, exercise and happiness.

Key findings include:

  • Participants consistently report more frequent positive emotions than negative emotions, suggesting that people generally do feel more happy than unhappy on a day-to-day basis.
  • Ideal times of day for happiness and wellbeing varied considerably across subjects, with some individuals showing greater signs of emotional wellbeing in the mornings, and others in the afternoon or evenings.
  • Daily physical activity and adequate sleep measured by Garmin devices were strongly correlated with higher levels of happiness and lower levels of stress.
  • Emotional stability varied by age, with older adults showing more stability than younger adults.
  • The study demonstrated high retention rates, suggesting participants found value in self-monitoring emotions during the day.
  • Respondents were happiest when involved in cultural and social activities, eating, or spending time with friends and family.

After receiving ethical approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB), the pilot study was launched by Harvard Kennedy School of Government and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health researchers – in collaboration with the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, the University of Warwick, the University of Saskatchewan, Avicenna and Garmin – at the Lugano Happiness Forum in Switzerland on June 18, 2024.

Now, after successfully completing two initial pilot studies, the Health and Happiness Study is expanding to include more than 10,000 participants from across the globe.

Micah Kaats, the Principal Investigator for the study and affiliated with both Harvard and Oxford universities, said: “By leveraging large-scale data from smartphones, smartwatches, and surveys collected from a global sample population, we aim to uncover new insights into the drivers and determinants of health and happiness for people around the world.”

Surveys are sent to respondents’ smartphones three times per day, asking them about their moods, emotions, and activities directly preceding the survey. Those reports are then cross-referenced with data from Garmin wearables and smartphones to provide a nuanced, qualitative and quantitative representation of how wellbeing impacted by variables like physical activity, sleep, socialization and stress.

Susan Lyman, Garmin Vice President of Consumer Sales and Marketing, added: “As a collaborator on more than 1,000 research studies and clinical trials, the Garmin Health team is honored to work with academic researchers at Harvard and Oxford University on this groundbreaking study to better understand the intersection of happiness and health.”

The Health and Happiness Study is currently accepting applicants to participate in the global study. Participants can learn more and sign up on the study website: www.healthandhappinessstudy.com.

While preferable, participants do not need a Garmin smartwatch to join the study. All participants who join will be eligible to receive free Garmin products and discounts, as well as individualised wellbeing reports that provide detailed insights into their own personal health and happiness.