WOHASU  is The World Happiness Summit, and it was created to bring awareness about the benefits of happiness and wellbeing. Or as Karen Guggenheim the founder & CEO has said:  “instead of letting life happen to you, show up to your life”.

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At WOHASU 2024 in London, Karen had a brilliant conversation with Dr. Vivek Murthy, American Surgeon General who has a keen eye on loneliness and human connection. Dr. Vivek statistically explained the dire situation in North America and in general around the Western world, where 1 in 2 adults suffer a measurable level of loneliness, which leads to an increase of –

• 25% levels of anxiety and depression
• 29% levels of cardiovascular disease
• 31% levels of stroke
• 50% levels of dementia

Ageing alone can lead to a higher level of all these morbidities, now, some of us are making things worse with our actions or inaction.

In a world seemingly more connected than ever before, it’s paradoxical to acknowledge the epidemic of loneliness gripping societies worldwide. Dr. Vivek Murthy,  Surgeon General of the United States, illuminated this sobering truth at the World Happiness Summit, shedding light on the staggering statistics that reveal the pervasive nature of loneliness and its detrimental effects on individuals and communities.

According to Dr. Murthy’s insights, it’s alarming to learn that in the United States, one in two adults suffers from measurable levels of loneliness. This loneliness epidemic is not merely a matter of emotional discomfort; it has tangible health consequences. Moreover, this pervasive sense of isolation contributes to societal polarisation, exacerbating divisions and fostering an environment of disconnection.

Dr. Murthy’s message serves as a wake-up call, urging us to prioritise the rebuilding of social connections as a fundamental aspect of fostering happier, healthier communities. He challenges the prevailing misconceptions about friendship, emphasising that genuine connections should transcend mere utility or transactional benefits. Rather than viewing relationships through the lens of “What can this person do for me?” or “How can they advance my career?”, Dr. Murthy advocates for a shift towards authentic human connection based on empathy, compassion, and mutual support.

In a world increasingly dominated by technology, Dr. Murthy underscores the importance of preserving human interaction and intimacy. While advancements in technology have undoubtedly improved efficiency and convenience, they should not come at the cost of replacing meaningful human connections. As Dr. Murthy poignantly reminds us, machines cannot offer the comfort of holding a hand during times of vulnerability, nor can they provide the emotional support needed in moments of crisis.

Drawing upon his experiences as a medical professional, Dr. Murthy highlights the intrinsic link between social connection and overall well-being. He emphasises that the pursuit of success should be grounded in service to others and alignment with one’s values. True fulfilment, he suggests, is not found in the accumulation of wealth or status but in meaningful contributions to the world and a deep understanding of oneself.

Dr. Murthy’s message extends beyond individual actions to encompass broader societal change. He empowers individuals to take proactive steps in their communities, families, and social circles to foster a culture of connection and support. By prioritizing initiatives that promote social and emotional learning in schools and workplaces, we can equip future generations with the necessary skills to navigate relationships and cultivate resilience.

Furthermore, Dr. Murthy advocates for greater regulation of technology, particularly social media and smartphones, to mitigate their negative impact on social connections. Just as safety measures were implemented for automobiles to protect public health, he argues for similar measures to safeguard mental and emotional well-being in the digital age.

At the core of Dr. Murthy’s message lies a fundamental goal: to ensure people are happy, healthy, and fulfilled. This necessitates a collective effort to prioritize sleep, nurture relationships, and foster lifelong learning. It requires a re-evaluation of societal values and a commitment to building communities where every individual feels seen, heard, and valued.

As we reflect on Dr. Murthy’s insights, let us heed his call to action and work towards creating a world where loneliness is replaced by connection, and where the pursuit of happiness is not merely an individual endeavour but a shared responsibility. By embracing empathy, fostering meaningful relationships, and prioritizing human connection, we can cultivate a society that is truly happier, healthier, and more fulfilled for generations to come.

@wohasu #wohasu2024 @karenguggenheim

The post Rebuilding Social Connection: Dr. Vivek Murthy’s Call to Action for a Happier, Healthier Society appeared first on The Positive Psychology People.

Here was a woman whose words of encouragement about ‘feeling lost’ I could take seriously since Alla, being a Ukranian woman, understands first-hand, what it is to have her whole world, home, and foundation, entirely changed overnight. And here was a woman whose happiness was not only genuine but also infectious.

Throughout her presentation, I typed furiously into my notes app, all the gems of wisdom she shared with the audience, not wanting to miss a single one. Alla reframed the sense of feeling lost and a lack of purpose into recognising that being lost means you are still moving, that you may be in the right place despite feeling lost, and that you can relearn what is right to trust in your life. Being lost is like losing a connection, but there is joy to be found in gaining new connections. Being lost can be freeing. You get to re-write, to start again, to rediscover (or discover) parts of you, and the world, that were not previously accessible.

While absorbing these soul-quenching words, Alla asked the audience to participate in an exercise. She requested us to form groups of three people, causing the introvert in me to internally groan. Conversing with a stranger?! Please don’t make me! However, despite my typical knee-jerk reaction to these types of scenarios, I found two lovely people to do the exercise with. And, to my surprise (I’m nearly always pleasantly surprised by these exercises) I found the exercise to be enjoyable and incredibly valuable.

The exercise involved acting out a scenario of imagining yourself in five years’ time, and listening to people having a conversation about you. It was a great, practical way to utilise visualisation skills, one which, through speaking it and acting it out, has really cemented that scenario in my mind.

Allas’ presentation left me with a sense of knowing that it’s ok to feel lost at times and that it’s also necessary, but it can also be exciting. I left the event with excitement and energy for not only further exploring my sense of purpose, but also with a feeling of hope that finding purpose isn’t as hard as I’ve always believed it to be.

Find out more about The World Happiness Summit (WOHASU) and add your name to the waiting list for WOHASU 2025
@wohasu #wohasu2024 @karenguggenheim

Hayley Clark is a psychology graduate and current MA student of Spirituality, Ecology, and Mental Health at Buckinghamshire New University.

The post Help Me, I’m Lost! WOHASU 2024 appeared first on The Positive Psychology People.

Wednesday 20^th March was not ordinary because behind the scenes of a working life, a few days earlier my partner Bridget who I adore and love deeply, had been rushed into hospital with a perforated appendix while I was away working. Earlier that morning, through a series of texts on the train, my fears had been confirmed that Bridget was not recovering as expected from surgery because she had sepsis (blood poisoning), which is a potentially life-threatening infection. I know this because Bridget was a NHS nurse with 40 years’ experience and had told me about sepsis many times (she was specially trained in sepsis response and care). My mind was racing with worry and I was at the World Happiness Conference, WOHSU 2024 (I will come back to this, I promise). On reflection, it is perhaps in these moments of challenge and threat of loss that a person is confronted with what really matters most in life. Love of Bridget, my connection with her, our dreams and hopes for the future, of growing old together were hanging by a microbial thread.

So here I was, on Wednesday 20^th March, International World Happiness Day and I am at the World Happiness Summit organized by WOHASU founder and CEO Karen Guggenheim, My energy was drained, I was in a brain fog of worry,  I was feeling guilty for being there and not with Bridget (although she had said to go), so what came next was a surprise!

First, the collective energy of a thousand-plus people, who want to make the world a better (or happier place) penetrated through the psychological worksuit I had put on in the morning. The positive energy was uplifting and neutralized many of the negative thoughts and emotions I had been experiencing all morning.

Second, speaker after speaker with the credentials of being renowned world-class researchers and practitioners came onto the stage with the same message –  our wellbeing matters to our health, our mental health, our development, our productivity and our planet. In essence, we matter, what we do matters, how treat each other matters. Ideas of love, compassion, courage and connection, really do make a difference to the world we create together. My heart was melting, I could not agree more.

Thirdly, Ricardo Sunderland came to the stage and with three simple questions: “What gives you energy? What takes your energy? Where do feel this in your body?” And gave me my final wake-up call of the day, Ricardo reconnected my head with my heart and reminded me of our shared purpose, the dreams of the simple life we had been working to create in renovating a little cottage in the woods of France and to live a more sustainable and enriching life. Stripped of complexity and the expectations of others, it was easier to make sense of the array of emotions I had been experiencing that morning. Pure and simply he told the WOHASU audience to “Follow your energy and it will connect you to your purpose”

So Wednesday 20^th March was no ordinary day, WOHASU 2024 turned out to be a timely reminder, a life lesson on what really matters and a wake call or call to action to make changes to our lives so we can live a life that really matters for us, for everyone, for our planet.

Bridget is now at the time of writing this, recovering well with me now at her side. Thank you WOHASU, it was certainly no an ordinary conference!

Lee Newitt is the founder and course leader for the MA Spirituality, Ecology & Mental Health at Buckinghamshire New University. Lee has had a successful career as a former school leader and transformational coach. Lee cares deeply about the people, the life in our world and the wild and sacred spaces in nature. He is striving to live more simply, more sustainably and more spiritually.

Find out more about The World Happiness Summit (WOHASU) and add your name to the waiting list for WOHASU 2025
@wohasu #wohasu2024 @karenguggenheim

The post No Ordinary Day! WOHASU 2024 appeared first on The Positive Psychology People.

However, Heather emphasised that individual contributions do matter. Although not everyone can be an eco-warrior there are vital roles for the supporters, encouragers and cheerleaders as well. She advocates matching one’s contributions to personal interests, strengths and communication styles. Taking small, consistent steps towards sustainability can, not only give individuals a sense of agency, but also help to drive cultural change within our workplaces, friends and families. 

Heather’s book, ‘One Green Thing,’ set to be released in April 2024, contains a 21-day kickstarter plan that details specific steps we can take. She reminded us,  “Without clean air, clean water and a livable climate there is no wellbeing and our purpose is intrinsically linked to sustainability”.

WOHASU plays such an important role by providing a platform for world experts like Heather to share key insights and the practical guidance we need to make a significant difference in the world both collectively and as individuals.

Find out more about The World Happiness Summit (WOHASU) and add your name to the waiting list for WOHASU 2025
@wohasu #wohasu2024 @karenguggenheim

The post One Green Thing – WOHASU 2024 appeared first on The Positive Psychology People.

At The World Happiness Summit (WOHASU) in London on the 19th of March 2024 Dr Sood shared, through engaging personal anecdotes, some of his ideas and demonstrated some positive brain hacks through experiential practice. He highlighted how difficult it is for us all to disconnect in our digital world and the impact this has on our brains. Common issues of human suffering such as chronic stress and long-term health conditions like back pain are significantly impacted by the way the human brain works.

For example, studies indicate that the brain has two major modes; the focused mode in which we are engaged and absorbed “on task” and the default mode in which our mind wanders reflecting the pattern of distraction. The brain toggles between these modes of functioning. When too great a percentage of our time is spent in default mode, this is associated with poor mental health outcomes and given the cultural pressures of our fast-paced world distraction is a constant pressure. Our brain becomes fatigued every 60-90 minutes when we are engaged in moderately challenging cognitive tasks but we are generally unaware of this as the brain functions automatically below our level of consciousness. We don’t directly register that our brain needs a rest, but without it, fatigue sets in reducing effective functioning and reaction time. We then become vulnerable to mind wandering.

Dr Sood emphasised that to combat fatigue and re-energise we need to regularly recognise and respond with intention, to give our brain what it needs after a period of engagement. He suggests this comprises three things:

• Rest which is the ability to switch off from planning and problem solving.
• Uplifting emotions such as gratitude, joy, and love.
• Motivation, which is a connection with our why or values, we need to reconnect with why we are doing our focused task! This can relate to intrinsic or extrinsic motivation but preferably both.

The acronym RUM summarises these needs. Thus our brain needs RUM every 60-90 minutes to re-energise us, maintain good functioning, mental health and resilience.

Dr Sood gave some great practical examples of what aspects of RUM might look like. These included:

• A morning gratitude practice
• Looking into the eyes of someone you love and getting feedback from them.
• Commiting to accepting a minor imperfection of someone close to you for a week
• Appreciating the people in your life and making sure they know you trust, accept and understand them

Positive Psychology has many other evidence-based strategies that can help us access a regular dose of RUM! What’s your favourite tipple?

The work of WOHASU provides inspiration for much-needed ongoing research to help us understand how to support our wellbeing effectively by working with our brain functioning rather than fighting it. We need this to help people learn to incorporate easy, regular habits into our daily life that support our psychological health in the same way that brushing our teeth for 2 minutes each morning and evening maintains physical health.

Find out more about The World Happiness Summit (WOHASU) and add your name to the waiting list for 2025
@wohasu #wohasu2024 @karenguggenheim

The post Why We All Need a Dose of RUM!! – WOHASU talk appeared first on The Positive Psychology People.

At the World Happiness Summit (WOHASU) 2024 in London, Troy revealed that he started the initiative because he was a creative child but all attention and popularity seemed to be focused only on the sporty kids, which he wasn’t. He describes Junk Kouture as “sport for creative kids” where everyone is encouraged to “find the diamond inside themselves and let it shine”.

To enter the competition entrants choose a theme and create a costume around it using recycled materials before modelling their design on stage to music. It is much more than just a fashion show, it is an expression and celebration of identity, creativity and commitment to sustainability from each participant.

On the WOHASU stage, seven finalists and winners from the 2023 Junk Kouture competition showcased their costumes to a standing ovation from the audience. One, the ‘Wishing on a Ribbon’ dress, was created by Livi and Clem and won in the Young Designer of the Year category. The dress was made from 283 reclaimed silver ribbons, with a handwritten wish from the pupils of Wadhurst Primary School.

Junk Kouture reflects the mission of WOHASU – to spread ripples of happiness to a global audience and cultivate a community committed to co-creating a happier, healthier and more sustainable world.

Find out more about The World Happiness Summit (WOHASU) and add your name to the waiting list for WOHASU 2025                 
@wohasu  #wohasu2024 @karenguggenheim

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