upworthy

happiness

When did slowing down become such a crime?

When did slowing down become such a crime? It seems as if at every turn, the world is screaming at us: push harder, demand more, settle for less. After winning the 2025 Australian Open, tennis champion Jannik Sinner was inundated with questions about his future goals and upcoming tournaments by journalists. The not-so-subtle subtext? “Now what’s next?” Mere minutes after Mikey Madison won her Academy Award for Best Actress in Anora, she was immediately hounded by the press about her future plans and next projects. Finally, she replied:

"I've been thinking about the future a lot and also the past. I've been really trying to remind myself to stay as present as possible throughout all of this, so I don't know. I really don't know what will happen in the future. I just want to keep making movies and continue to work with people who inspire me and play interesting characters, tell stories that are compelling."

In a culture obsessed with moving at a lightning speed, young people in South Korea are fed up. In the words of Bartleby, the Scrivener, they'd "rather not." Instead, they're choosing a different path, one that's unhurried and geared towards gratefulness. They call it ‘sohwakhaeng’ (소확행), a philosophy that's deceptively simple yet profound, that challenges our very notion of happiness.


A contraction of the words “small” (소), “certain” (확실한), and “happiness” (행복), ‘sohwakhaeng’ roughly translates to “small but certain happiness.” The concept was lifted from Japanese author Haruki Murakami’s 1986 essay, “Afternoon in the Islets of Langerhans,” in which he describes discovering delight in the tiniest, most unexpected places: a freshly baked loaf of bread, torn into using one's hands; neatly folded underwear; new shirts that smell like clean cotton.

Sohwakhaeng’s message is simple: joy is always around us. We just need to train ourselves to recognize it. How? Start by being intentional. Slow down, notice your surroundings, and savor this one precious moment. Remember that you are alive. Then, contentment will come. Sohwakhaeng guarantees it, no matter how minuscule or trivial the event may seem.

Sohwakhaeng can take many forms. It can look like your favorite tea, warmed and steeped in your favorite mug, enjoyed while staring out the window on a snowy winter’s day. It could be a gratitude journal, written nightly using the smooth, metallic pen you saved up for months to buy. A small prayer that precedes a meal. There aren't many rules when it comes to sohwakhaeng. It can be anything, really. The key is mindfulness, living in the present, and noticing all the small joys of life that all too often pass us by. It’s like Jack’s famous song in the musical Into the Woods, when, after scurrying down the giant beanstalk, he marvels at everything below him, seeing for the very first time everything he once took for granted.

“The roof, the house and your Mother at the door The roof, the house and the world you never thought to explore...”


Women, eating, restaurant, smiling, enjoying meal Joy's always there, if we just learn how to look for it. Photo credit: Canva

In South Korea’s fast-paced, high-pressure society, sohwakhaeng has become more than just a feel-good philosophy but a life-saving raft, especially among young people. The country has become consumed by "pali pali" (빨리빨리), or "hurry hurry" culture—a turbocharged approach to life that South Koreans simultaneously wear as a badge of honor and deeply resent. “Pali pali” has become the nation’s ethos, where speed, efficiency, and rapid progress must be prioritized at all costs.

It's no surprise that South Korean citizens are turning to sohwakhaeng in droves, seeking an antidote to their country’s distressing emphasis on lightning speed, efficiency, and promptness above all else. This culture of ultra-productivity, although effective in its own way, is taking its toll on South Korea's citizens: Seoul's suicide rates are increasing rapidly among the elderly, young adults, and even teenagers, with many citing depression, substance abuse, chronic illness, economic hardship, emotional distress, and trauma. According to the Korea Herald, experts have been raising the alarm for years about the increasing burdens of the country's unsustainable work conditions, exorbitant housing costs, and overwhelming responsibilities, which have also led to the country’s rapidly declining birth rates.

It's a bit grim, to put it lightly. And, in response, malaise-stricken Millennials and Zoomers have begun calling themselves the “n-Po generation," where “n” represents exponential growth, and “Po” comes from the Korean word for “give up.” They've given up to the nth degree.

Novak Djokovic, tennis, don't give up, inspirationalEven Novak Djokovic agrees: Don't give up. Giphy

There is hope, however. Alongside the n-Po and 4B movements in South Korea, Sohwakhaeng has become a significant theme on social media, with hundreds of thousands of posts bearing the hashtag “#소확행.” Here, you’ll find Korean citizens reveling in the mundanity of life, as is the case with Instagram star @Salguzzam, who posted a wonderfully simple photo of her daily meal, writing, “In the morning, as I eat the abalone porridge that my mother-in-law set out for me, I’m feeling happy. I haven’t even tasted the apricot jam, but I’m finishing the whole pot of porridge by myself.”

Sohwakhaeng has even moved beyond the Internet, with IKEA Korea offering “home party boxes” accompanied by the theme, “Perfection is Unnecessary, Share Delicious Time Together.” Boxes contain various items for cooking, planting, and decorating at home, and are designed specifically to elicit joy without stressing perfection. The Swedish furniture and home goods store partnered with South Korean pop star Henry Lau to create these imperfectly perfect boxes. In a statement, Lau remarked: “I collaborated with IKEA for this event because I often have a home party with my friends and also huge interest in home furnishing including interior design,” adding, “The way to enjoy home parties more easily and pleasantly is to be free from any pressure for perfect preparations.”


Are there ways to incorporate sohwakhaeng into your life today? For Kim Tae-hee, an office worker in Korea, inspiration comes naturally because it’s “simple and ordinary.” If you're having trouble, think small: search for a delicious whiff that reminds you of childhood or the spark of a feeling no words could ever do justice to. Call an old friend, just because you miss their voice; marvel at a well-written sentence in the book you're reading. Perhaps there's a tree that seems to wave to you right outside the bedroom window. Maybe today, you wave back.

Sohwakhaeng asks, "What could be more radical than finding divinity in a cup of coffee?" Today, there are limitless opportunities to find small but certain happiness. You just have to know where to look.

When older people get lonely, interacting with pets can be a game-changer.

Sometimes when we're in the younger, busier time of our lives, it's easy to forget—or not even realize—that our elderly friends and neighbors might be lonely. But very often, people who have long been retired, who may have already said goodbye to many of their friends or who have physical limitations that make it difficult to get out to visit people, can find themselves alone most of the time. Feelings of loneliness can lead to depression and other health risks, and even shorten one's lifespan.

A viral social media post offers a good reminder of this fact, but in the most heartwarming way. A poster named Dylan shared a photo of a typed letter with the caption: "I went on a vacation 2 weeks ago, and let my neighbor babysit my pets. Shortly after I got back home, I received this letter from him in the mail that made me smile and cry. I’d like to share it here."

"Good afternoon," the letter begins. This is regarding your vacation two weeks ago and how you let me babysit Smokey, Oreo, and Jennifer. I'd just like to give you a letter of thanks." (The letter doesn't specify what kind of pets Smokey, Oreo and Jennifer are, but the original poster later shared that they are a German shepherd, "the crankiest little beagle you’ve seen in your life," and a cat named Oreo.)

Then he continued:

"As you know, I'm an old man. You don't see me outside often anymore, as these joints aren't as lively as they used to be. To add to that, two years ago, in the midst of the pandemic, my dad got diagnosed with stage four colon cancer. After his death, I was left alone in my home. I don't have a wife or kids. I could go to sleep one day and never wake up again. Every day is just sitting around and wondering what I have done for this world.

Until I met Smokey, Oreo, and Jennifer.

Your pets are the cutest, funniest, and most troublesome (In a good way, don't worry, they didn't mess up my house too much!) individuals. They gave me the motivation to restart my life again. I started waking up early in the mornings. I began to take walks outside with your pets for the first time in years. Every 10 minutes, whenever I felt sad for a second, they would bark or rub against my leg and make me laugh.

The highlight of their stay was when I took them to the park. It was the longest time I've spend outside in a while. It didn't just bring back pet interaction, I also met other people, started talking, and made friends with a handful of fellow human beings. I was so happy to finally be able to talk with friends again, interact with others, and feel like I'm part of the human race.

I realize I sound very existential right now, but I'm telling the truth. It's nice knowing that I'm doing something for someone, even if it's my neighbor.

I adopted two dogs soon after. (You may have been hearing noise from my home, pardon them!) I now take regular walks to the park with them and talk with friends I made there. Anyways, I'd just like to say: thank you so much. You brought back meaning to my life. And that's all that matters.

Sincerely,

Robert (P.S. I think it's time for you to mow the lawn, haha!)


senior citizen, older gentleman, nieghbor, dog sitter, happy elderly manRepresentative image of Robert.via Canva/Photos

People absolutely loved Robert's letter—and Robert himself, judging from some of the comments:

"Robert is a national treasure and I take anything less to be an insult!"

"I wouldn’t just mow my lawn, but Robert’s too. Forever."

"Robert really is the good in all of us. He must be protected at all costs."

german shepards, dogs, pet sitters, dog breeds, dog in grass, happy dogA German shepard sits in the grass.via Aleksandar Mitrovic/Unsplash

Some people related to Robert, having found a new zest for life after getting pets of their own. Others joked that the whole letter was just an elaborate, "Midwest-nice" way to tell the poster their lawn needed attention. Some doubted the veracity of the letter, but even if it's not real, the comments from people sharing how their elderly loved ones had been helped by neighbors sharing their pets with them show that animals really can help people who are lonely find more connection and purpose in their lives.

Pets can bring much love into our lives and, according to the American Heart Association, can also help us live longer. Interacting with dogs boosts the production of "happy hormones" such as oxytocin, serotonin, and dopamine, which reduces stress levels and provides a greater sense of well-being. Regular walking with a dog is also a great way to exercise. Dog owners also have a unique advantage when overcoming a serious health problem. Dog owners who suffer from a heart attack or stroke are less likely to die than those who are not.

It's a good reminder to check in with older folks around us and to share the joy of our pets with people who might be lonely. You never know whose life you might touch with your furry friends.

This article originally appeared three years ago.

Community

Good news: Our pessimism about other people doesn't line up with reality

A new study shows that people are a lot more honest and kind than we think.

Lost wallet experiments show people are more benevolent than we believe.

In the age of 24/7 news cycles and social media algorithms, it's easy to become cynical about humanity. Sensational videos of bad behavior catch people's attention and get pushed into our feeds, negative headlines reinforce negative feelings, and the cycle leads people to the conclusion that people in general are more selfish and dishonest than helpful and kind.

But is that actually true? According to the 2025 World Happiness Report, it's not. In fact, in reality, humans are far kinder than we think we are.

wallet, lost wallet test, world happiness reportPeople are more likely to return a wallet if it has money in it.Photo credit: Canva

Researchers use a simple wallet experiment to test benevolence levels in a given area. If someone finds a dropped wallet, will they turn it in or will they keep it? The perception most people have is that only a small percentage of people will return a lost wallet, but the actual data negates that notion. In fact, overall, people are twice as likely to return a lost wallet than people believe. And perhaps even more interestingly, people were more likely to turn in the wallet if it had money in it than it if didn't.

And this result isn't new. Wallet tests conducted over the years have come to the same conclusion.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

"Collectively, these data on expected and actual wallet return show that people are far too pessimistic about the benevolence of others," the report states. In other words, people are much better people than we think.

Interestingly, our perception of people's benevolence is strongly linked to our happiness. The more social trust we have—believing that people will generally do the decent or honorable thing—the higher our happiness level. Ironically, we could all be a happier if we knew we could trust people more, but it's just our skewed perception of people that's getting in the way. "People may be made needlessly unhappy by their unwarranted pessimism," the report states.

And our beliefs about others doesn't have a small impact. The report says "believing that others would return a wallet predicts a larger boost to life satisfaction than a doubling of income." The positive effect of believing your wallet will be returned is also higher than the expected negative effect that unemployment, mental health issues, or violent crime would have on your life satisfaction.

The good news is that we don't have to try to drum up feigned positivity about humanity in order to increase our social trust. We simply have to look at the data that demonstrates we actually can trust people more than we think we can and internalize it. Reality itself is the antidote to pessimism about humanity. Isn't that wonderful?

The World Happiness Report has a lot to say about people-to-people interactions and relationships, as research shows that social bonds are key to our wellbeing. There are several elements that can impact people's happiness—how much money we have, how healthy we feel, whether we feel a sense of purpose, etc.—but our feelings about and experiences with others is a big piece of the puzzle.

"This year’s report pushes us to look beyond traditional determinants like health and wealth. It turns out that sharing meals and trusting others are even stronger predictors of wellbeing than expected," said Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, economics professor, director of Oxfort's Wellbeing Research Centre, and an editor of the World Happiness Report. "In this era of social isolation and political polarisation we need to find ways to bring people around the table again — doing so is critical for our individual and collective wellbeing."

So which countries are the happiest? Perhaps unsurprisingly, Finland topped the list for the 8th year in a row. Despite its cold weather much of the year and it's lack of sunlight in the winter, the Finnish way of life appears to lead to higher levels of happiness than other places. In fact, the Nordic countries in general seem to have a bead on happiness, since Denmark, Iceland and Sweden rounded out the top four spots.

The United States landed at the #24 spot, right behind the United Kingdom at #23, a slip in the rankings for both countries. Here's the list of the top 25 happiest countries:

1. Finland

2. Denmark

3. Iceland

4. Sweden

5. Netherlands

6. Costa Rica

7. Norway

8. Israel

9. Luxembourg

10. Mexico

11. Australia

12. New Zealand

13. Switzerland

14. Belgium

15. Ireland

16. Lithuania

17. Austria

18. Canada

19. Slovenia

20. Czechia

21. United Arab Emirates

22. Germany

23. United Kingdom

24. United States

25. Belize

Wherever your country falls on the happiness rankings, focusing more on social connections and a positive outlook on humanity may help give your own personal happiness a boost.

You're never too old for a little hopscotch.

From what's happening in the world at large to the details of our individual lives, there's a whole lot to worry about on a daily basis. Life can be difficult and people can be complicated, but sometimes the simplest things can remind us that joy is only a step or two away.

For instance, take this woman in Trinidad, Louann Kristy, who transformed people's day with just a piece of chalk and a desire to see people dance. A video shows a woman drawing a classic hopscotch grid on a sidewalk in front of her house, but with a little twist. In the final half-circle, she wrote "DANCE" and just before the first square she wrote "Have fun!" Then she waited for a camera to capture people passing by it.

Sure enough, random pedestrians got to the hopscotch and skipped across it like they probably remember doing as children. And then, when they got to the end, some of them launched into a brief dance, dutifully shimmying and wiggling their hips. Watch:

@louannkristy

Stay tuned! Carnival is coming and that can only mean one thing !! Carnival hopscotch is back 2025 edition! #hopscotch #pavementhopscotch #trinidadandtobago #trini_tiktoks #fyp

It's almost a social experiment of sorts. Who will do the hopscotch and who will walk right over or past it? Who will dance at the end and who will feel too self-conscious? Are people more likely to dance if they're by themselves or with other people? Are the people who dance enjoying themselves more? Would more people or fewer people dance if they knew a camera was on them? Who knows.

What this video does demonstrate is how easy it is to do something that brings childlike joy to people's day, even just for a moment, and the comments show how much other people love seeing it.

"I loved when there were three guys in a row and the guy at the back kind of got stopped and came out the side instead. But then he saw that the end said dance so he did the butt wiggle anyway."

"Humans love a lil butt wiggle."

"It makes me wonder…are we all predestined to wiggle? I need some scientific articles."

"Born to wiggle, forced to walk."


@louannkristy

The last clip is pure energy, so stick around to catch that! And if you’re in Trini, jump in and show us your moves! Hopscotch will be up on Friday until Carnival Tuesday if it survives! 😂 #HopscotchChallenge #TriniVibes #wholesome ##pavementhopscotch #trinidadandtobago #trini_tiktoks #hopscotch

"I loved how the runners seamlessly did it without losing any momentum."

"(Jogger) "Runrunrunrun...OH! HOPSCOTCH! (Bounce bounce bounce) runrunrunrun..."

"Like sleeper agents being woken up to perform their duty."

"I can imagine most of those adults running have a million thoughts going through them either from stress or life in general. Even if it was for a few seconds, seeing this hopscotch made them forget everything there was about being an adult. No stress, just play. Have fun. It's always the little things that bring us the biggest joys in life."


@louannkristy

Who’s ready to jump in and try this? If you spot my hopscotch in Trini, you know what to do! #HopscotchChallenge #GetCreative #trinidadandtobago #trini_tiktoks #fyp #pavementhopscotch #hopscotch #wholesome #LiveOutlandish

It's true, little things like this can literally turn someone's day around and it's not that hard to do. If it's not a hopscotch, maybe it's a sticky note left in a library book or a compliment you pay a stranger. Playfulness can look like a lot of different things, too, from inviting the person sitting next to you on the train to a rock-paper-scissors contest to dancing to the 80s music in the grocery store aisle to leaving a bucket of chalk in front of your house for other people to draw with. It doesn't take much, just a little creativity and willingness to set aside your own self-consciousness. Giving yourself permission to be playful gives other people permission to play also, which is good for everyone's well-being.

As one person wrote, "We need more things like this in the world. Get out there, put the phone away, touch grass, and just enjoy the experience of being alive type things." Indeed, playfulness is a great way to tap into childlike joy and wonder, and all it takes is someone willing to make it happen.