Global Kindness Exceeds Expectations, Reveals Happiness Report

The 2025 World Happiness Report uncovers that individuals are often overly pessimistic about the kindness of strangers, with wallet return rates indicating much higher trust levels than anticipated.

Strangers are often kinder than most people assume, according to a recent study connected to the 2025 World Happiness Report. Conducted globally, the study measured the level of trust in strangers by observing how many lost wallets were returned and contrasting these figures with public expectations. Remarkably, the rate of wallet returns was nearly double what participants predicted, reinforcing the idea that belief in others' kindness is more strongly correlated with happiness than previously acknowledged.

In its eighth consecutive year at the top of the list, Finland ranks as the happiest country worldwide, while the US and UK have fallen to 24th and 23rd place, their lowest positions ever. John F. Helliwell, an economist from the University of British Columbia and an original editor of the report, remarked that the wallet experiment underscores that people tend to be "too pessimistic." The research, conducted by the University of Oxford's Wellbeing Research Centre, had participants evaluate their lives on a scale of 0 to 10, with Finland achieving an impressive average score of 7.736 out of 10.

For the first time, Costa Rica and Mexico made their way into the top ten happiest nations. The report also noted a significant decline in happiness and trust in social connections in the US and parts of Europe, contributing to rising political polarization. Additionally, communal meals were found to enhance individual wellbeing, while household size correlated positively with happiness, particularly in Mexico and Europe.

Jeffrey D. Sachs, president of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, stated that the results reaffirmed the necessity of kindness and social connection for happiness. He emphasized the importance of collective action to promote peace and wellbeing in communities across the globe. Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, director of Oxford's Wellbeing Research Centre, echoed this sentiment, underlining the need to combat social isolation and political divides by fostering communal connections.