What The World's Happiest Country Can Teach Us About Surviving The Coronavirus Crisis

LOADING ERROR LOADING The timing of the annual World Happiness Report may seem unfortunate ― it launched today, as the world grapples with how to react to the coronavirus pandemic without social and economic meltdown. “Time and again we see the reasons for well-being include good social support networks, social trust, honest governments, safe environments, and healthy lives.” Mutual Aid and other community support groups have grown significantly in London over the last few days as people volunteer to help their neighbors who are vulnerable or self isolating with things like shopping, getting prescriptions and providing meals. On the other hand, said Helliwell, “some societies are so concentrated on their differences and their anger with each other, that they end up blaming other people for the natural disaster, and not cooperating and finding the best ways of dealing with it.” One point raised by the report authors is the role social media will play in shoring up these social connections in a time of social distancing. “What the report is essentially telling us,” Helliwell said, “is that this human need and capacity for looking out for each other, trusting each other, and looking after each other, is uniquely important.” And as the search for a vaccine against the virus continues, Helliwell suggested there could be a second “vaccine” of sorts while we wait: “A social vaccine that protects us against loneliness and disconnection and other things that can happen when a disease asks you to be physically isolated, when the last thing you want is social isolation.” Keep up with the latest updates on the coronavirus at our live blog.