We remain open at elevate – our premier personal training center. Even as the region experiences the Covid-19 Delta surge. And we continue to limit capacity and clean relentlessly. If you prefer, we will wear a mask.

But, some of us have started worrying again like we did a year ago. So, we turned our thoughts back to a surprising finding in the 2020 World Happiness Report. (You can find it here). It found:

Worldwide, global happiness in 2020 was unchanged from 2019.

Some at elevate remember the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis. And they felt amazed. Because, the drop in perceived happiness from 2008 to 2009 was almost 20%.

The 2020 report takes a holistic look at social, urban, and natural environments.

The Nordic countries led by Finland remain the happiest places on earth.

The USA held steady as the eighteenth happiest country. And, Philadelphia ranked as the twenty-eighth happiest city.

The report noted the strong social services networks in northern Europe. And, as in previous years, this fact drives perceived happiness. Also, citizens of these countries trust institutions at a very high level. Both factors reduce uncertainty, adding to the level of happiness. This makes sense to our personal training center team.

Gallup has gotten more involved in this massive annual project. This involvement resulted in more in-depth questioning and new areas of inquiry.

Gallup conducted 350,000 interviews in 95 nations. The focus on social environments resulted in a panel of questions about social interactions. And one conclusion surprised our personal training center team.

Across the wealth spectrum of countries, stronger social connections increased people’s sense of happiness dramatically. The average increase was 8.3%.

We thought that they set the low bar for “stronger connections.” The report defined it as one or more social meetings a week. In countries with higher institutional trust, the effect on happiness increased. In the Nordic countries, stronger social connections increased perceived happiness by 13%.

Our personal training center team’s key takeaway:

Connections make a big difference in our lives. So stay active to stay social.

And, if interested, you can find happiness tips here.

We work with you to help you live exactly the life you want. So that you can enjoy optimal health at every age. Learn more about what we do here.

So, when you want to get started, have questions, or make a connection, contact us. After all, we’re here to help.