How has the pandemic changed people's perception of happiness?

The COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging for everyone in one way or another, as it brought on a slew of difficulties and negative emotions.

Who hasn't at least at one time during the pandemic felt exhausted or filled with fear as we thread this unprecedented time marked by uncertainties, right?

Nevertheless, no matter how testing the pandemic can be, just like any crisis, there are still silver linings that we can hold on to for hope and inspiration.

One of them is probably the great mental and emotional revolution that has occurred during the pandemic.

It seems like the pandemic served as the much-needed trigger for us to have a reset, to turn our focus on things that truly matter.

When we were deprived of so many things that served as distractions, we finally realized what or who are the most important things and people in our lives.

How has the pandemic changed people's perception of happiness? / Source: Pexels

This is what was revealed in a global study done last year titled “Choose Happier Together: Selecta's Manifesto for a Happier World.”

The study surveyed over 12, 500 people from 12 different countries and found that the meaning of happiness across the world has changed.

More than individual financial success, status, and personal possessions, people now place a higher value on social connections and community togetherness as key factors extremely important to being happy.

Below are the six key findings from the study on the role of community and social connections in the lives of people.

• 65% say “interactions with people during lockdown” changed their “outlook on happiness”

Many have unlocked a new perspective on happiness from either interacting with their neighbors for the first time or reconnecting with old friends.

The biggest shift reportedly happened in the Philippines, where 83% of people reported a new perspective on happiness due to simple things such as forming social connections and maintaining community togetherness.

• 78% now feel strongly that happiness and well-being should be prioritized over money.

For years, many have been focused on accumulating wealth or were hell-bent on being successful and living a luxurious life.

While these things are not entirely bad, the extreme pursuit of them has led people to forget about their personal well-being and happiness.

But ever since the pandemic happened, people's outlook on money and happiness has drastically changed.

According to the study, the 25-34-year-old age group represented the highest percentage of responses in favor of change.

Selecta's study found that people now place a higher value on social connections and community togetherness as key factors to being happy. / Source: Pexels

Some of the other key findings are the following:

• 63% want their government to take action and put “happiness before economic recovery”
• 66% of Filipinos said that human connection is what really makes them happy
• 86% of Filipinos said they would offer social support to those in their communities.
• 62% said that lockdown had made them feel more part of their community.

The study also revealed that more than half (52%) of people around the world agree that their neighbors play a more important role in their lives than ever before.

This increased sense of community was most felt in particular by younger generations, with 67% of 25-34-year-olds agreeing that they feel more a part of their community now more than ever before.

Moreover, the Philippines was revealed to have the greatest number of people (83%) saying that they feel more part of their community, followed by Pakistan (79%).

And the rise of the community pantries' popularity earlier this year is definitely a great proof to this.

The pandemic may have brought us apart physically, but it has also ironically brought us all closer in spirit and heart, as we realize that the key to true happiness is being together not just with our family and close friends, but also with the communities we belong to.

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Check out also what Filipino celebrities have to say about their mental health issues.