What Does Happiness Really Mean? Exploring Joy on International Happiness Day

Every year on 20 March, the United Nations marks International Happiness Day — a reminder that wellbeing is not a luxury, but a fundamental human goal. But what exactly is happiness? And why, for so many people, does it feel just out of reach?

At Parts of Us Counselling, we think it is worth sitting with this question — not rushing toward easy answers, but genuinely exploring what happiness means to you.

What Is International Happiness Day?

International Happiness Day was established by the United Nations in 2012. It grew from the recognition that economic growth alone does not equate to human wellbeing — and that governments, communities, and individuals should prioritise happiness as part of their goals.

The day is tied to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals and the annual World Happiness Report, which measures wellbeing across countries based on factors such as social connection, freedom, generosity, and trust.

What Does Happiness Actually Look Like?

Here is the thing about happiness: it rarely looks the way we expect it to. And one of the most therapeutic realisations a person can have is that happiness is not a fixed destination — it is something that looks genuinely different for different people.

Psychological research distinguishes between two broad types of wellbeing:

Hedonic happiness: pleasure, positive emotion, and the absence of pain. This is what most of us picture — good food, laughter, holidays, connection.

Eudaimonic happiness: a sense of meaning, purpose, and living in alignment with your values. This is the deeper, quieter kind — the feeling that your life matters and that you are growing.

For most people, a fulfilling life involves both — but the balance is deeply personal.

Happiness Looks Different for Everyone

For one person, happiness is a morning routine that feels their own. For another, it is a career that challenges them. For someone else, it is learning to rest without guilt, or rebuilding a relationship, or simply feeling safe in their own body.

Happiness is also not constant. Life includes grief, uncertainty, frustration, and exhaustion. The expectation that we should feel happy most of the time is not just unrealistic — it can be harmful, leaving us feeling like failures when we inevitably feel otherwise.

What therapy helps with is not manufacturing happiness, but clearing away the obstacles to it: the unprocessed grief, the unhelpful patterns, the self-criticism that keeps joy at arm's length.

Small Practices That Support Wellbeing

Research from positive psychology offers some evidence-based pathways to greater wellbeing:

• Gratitude — not toxic positivity, but genuine acknowledgment of what is good in your life, even when things are hard.

• Social connection — meaningful relationships are consistently among the strongest predictors of happiness.

• Purposeful activity — doing things that align with your values, not just your obligations.

• Rest — sleep, recovery, and simply doing nothing are not signs of laziness. They are the foundation of everything else.

• Self-compassion — treating yourself with the same kindness you would offer a friend.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if I don't know what makes me happy? This is more common than you think — and it is a genuinely meaningful place to start in therapy. Together, we can explore what truly matters to you beneath the noise.

Is it normal to feel unhappy even when life looks good on paper? Absolutely. Happiness is not just about circumstances. Internal factors — unresolved pain, unmet needs, misaligned values — matter deeply.

Can counselling make me happier? Therapy is not a happiness machine, but it can help remove the barriers to wellbeing and help you build a life that feels genuinely yours.

This International Happiness Day, we invite you not to chase happiness, but to get curious about it. What does a meaningful life look like for you? → At Parts of Us Counselling, we would love to help you explore that question. Get in touch to find out more.