International Happiness Happens Month: Celebrating Happiness, Discovering Joy
By Sunny Turner
International Happiness Happens Month: Celebrating Happiness, Discovering Joy
Did you know that August is International Happiness Happens Month – and one of the best times of year to explore wellbeing activities that genuinely make a difference?
While the world comes together on 20th March every year to mark the International Day of Happiness, August gives us something even more generous – a whole month dedicated to noticing, sharing, and celebrating happiness in everyday life. And for those of us who know that joy runs a little deeper than happiness, it is also a wonderful invitation to cultivate something more lasting.
And at Serious Laughter, we think that is very much worth talking about.
What Is International Happiness Happens Month?
International Happiness Happens Month was founded by Pamela Gail Johnson, founder of The Society of Happy People (SOHP). She started the society in 1998 with a simple but powerful mission – to give a voice to people who are happy and want to express it without apology.
The celebration began with Admit You’re Happy Day on 8th August 1999. Members loved it so much that in 2000, they expanded it into a full month, eventually renaming it Happiness Happens Month.
The idea behind it is beautifully simple: happiness happens all around us, every single day, in small, ordinary moments. This month is an invitation to slow down, notice those moments, and share them with others. Because happiness and joy, it turns out, are both contagious.
Happiness and Joy – A Reminder Worth Revisiting
If you have read our International Day of Happiness blog, you will know that happiness and joy are not quite the same thing – and the distinction is worth holding onto during a month like this.
Happiness tends to be temporary. It is a response to something going well – good news, a sunny afternoon, a catch-up with a friend. It is wonderful, but it depends on circumstances.
Joy runs deeper. It is an internal state that can exist even when life is difficult. It gives us resilience – something steady to come back to when things feel hard. And here is the lovely part – simply reflecting on a joyful memory can genuinely lift your mood. You do not need the joyful thing to be happening right now. The memory of it is enough to start shifting how you feel.
International Happiness Happens Month is a perfect opportunity to do exactly that – to pause, reflect, and notice the moments of joy that are already there.
The Four Elements of Joy
According to Dr Madan Kataria, the founder of Laughter Yoga, there are four elements of joy: laughing, singing, dancing, and playing. Four simple, deeply human things that many of us quietly stop making time for as we get older.
The science agrees – these are not indulgences. They are some of the most powerful tools we have for our well-being. A 2012 study by Dunbar et al., published in Evolutionary Psychology, found that actively singing, dancing, and drumming together triggers endorphin release and raises pain tolerance in ways that simply listening to music does not. Singing, dancing, and playing together have been shown to have predominantly positive effects on psychological, physical, social, and mental well-being. And laughter, of course, reduces cortisol, boosts endorphins, and supports immune function. Four elements. Four pathways. All backed by research.
How Laughter Yoga Helps You Celebrate All Month Long
Laughter Yoga is one of the most accessible ways to bring all four elements of joy into your life at once. A session involves simulated laughter exercises – which your body cannot distinguish from spontaneous laughter – alongside movement, play, and connection.
You do not need to feel happy to join in. You do not need jokes, comedy, or a reason to laugh. You just need to show up as you are with your willingness.
I came to Laughter Yoga during one of the hardest periods of my own life. It was not happiness I found there – it was joy. And that is a very different, and much more lasting, thing.
If you are new to Laughter Yoga and want to understand more about how it works, What Is Laughter Yoga? A Complete Guide to the Practice That Is Changing Lives is a wonderful place to start.
Join a Laughter Yoga Session Online This August
One of the loveliest wellbeing activities this August is to experience joy with other people – and you can do exactly that from the comfort of your own home.
Our online wellbeing classes run on Zoom and are open to everyone, wherever you are in the world. Our online Laughter Yoga classes range from 15 to 60 minutes, are gentle and accessible, and you do not need any experience to join in. Just bring yourself and a willingness to try something a little different.
👉 Browse and book our online Laughter Yoga sessions on Eventbrite here
If you would prefer to join us in person, we run wellbeing events in Manchester and across the North West. All our upcoming face-to-face events are listed in the Events section here.
Simple Ways to Celebrate Happiness Happens Month
August is a brilliant month to try something new for your happiness and wellbeing. You do not need a big plan. Here are some gentle wellbeing activities to explore throughout the month:
- Keep a happiness journal – jot down one joyful moment each day, however small
- Reach out to someone who makes you smile and tell them so
- Dance to your favourite song – just because you can
- Try something playful that you have not done in a while
- Take part in the Society of Happy People’s 31 Days, 31 Types of Happiness, 31 Ways to Feel Good challenge – a different happiness activity for every day of August
- Come along to a Laughter Yoga session – online or in person – and experience joy in community
For more ideas on building well-being into everyday life, 12 Wellbeing Practices for Stress Relief and Mental Health has plenty to choose from.
The Science Bit
Laughter does something measurable and real in your body. It lowers cortisol – the stress hormone – boosts endorphins, and supports your immune system. And research shows that even recalling a happy or joyful memory can trigger some of those same benefits.
A 2021 peer-reviewed study published in the Baltic Journal of Sport and Health Sciences (Szabo, Berkes, Ihász and Köteles) found that Laughter Yoga produces positive psychological and cardiometabolic changes – and fascinatingly, even watching a Laughter Yoga session was enough to reduce negative feelings and lift mood. The researchers concluded it is a pleasurable, healthy, and accessible activity for everyone.
Research published in the European Heart Journal (2023) also links laughter to improved cardiovascular health, while a randomised controlled study involving 101 participants confirmed that Laughter Yoga meaningfully reduces stress, burnout, depression, and anxiety – with measurable reductions in salivary cortisol levels.
A whole month of noticing happiness is not just a nice idea. It is genuinely good for you.
For more on the evidence behind Laughter Yoga, The Science Behind Laughter Yoga: Why You Don’t Need to Feel Happy to Laugh covers it beautifully.
Come and Celebrate With Us
We would love you to spend part of Happiness Happens Month laughing with us. Our community Laughter Yoga sessions are open to everyone – no experience needed, no particular mood required. Just come as you are and see what happens.
👉 Book your place on an online session via Eventbrite
If you have any questions or would like to find out more, get in touch – we would love to hear from you.
Here’s to a whole month of happiness – and the joy that runs underneath it. 🌟
Frequently Asked Questions
What is International Happiness Happens Month?
International Happiness Happens Month takes place every August. It was founded by Pamela Gail Johnson of The Society of Happy People in 1998, with the aim of celebrating happiness in everyday life and encouraging people to share joy with others.
When did Happiness Happens Month start?
It began as Admit You’re Happy Day on 8th August 1999, and was expanded into a full month-long celebration in 2000.
What is the difference between happiness and joy?
Happiness is a temporary emotional response to positive circumstances – it comes and goes. Joy is a deeper, more enduring internal state that can exist even during difficult times. Joy gives us resilience and does not depend on everything going right.
What are the four elements of joy?
According to Dr Madan Kataria, the founder of Laughter Yoga, the four elements of joy are laughing, singing, dancing, and playing. Research shows that actively engaging in these activities triggers endorphin release and supports psychological and physical well-being.
What is Laughter Yoga?
Laughter Yoga is a well-being practice that combines simulated laughter exercises with deep breathing. Because the body cannot distinguish between spontaneous and simulated laughter, the physical and emotional benefits are the same either way. You do not need to feel happy or have a sense of humour to benefit.
What online wellbeing classes does Serious Laughter offer?
Serious Laughter runs online Laughter Yoga classes on Zoom, open to everyone wherever you are in the UK or worldwide. Sessions are a brilliant stress relief activity and range from 15 to 60 minutes. Browse and book here via Eventbrite.
What happiness and wellbeing activities can I try this August?
There are lots of simple happiness and wellbeing activities to explore during Happiness Happens Month – from keeping a joy journal to joining an online Laughter Yoga class. The Society of Happy People also run a 31-day happiness challenge throughout August at sohp.com.
Is Laughter Yoga backed by science?
Yes. A growing body of peer-reviewed research supports the benefits of Laughter Yoga, including reductions in cortisol and stress hormones, improved cardiovascular health, and positive psychological and cardiometabolic changes. See the references below for full details.
References
- Szabo, A., Berkes, T., Ihász, F., & Köteles, F. (2021). Psychophysiological Responses to Laughter Yoga in Women: Two Studies on the Visual and Practice Effects of this New Physical Activity. Baltic Journal of Sport and Health Sciences, 4(123), 23-34. https://journals.lsu.lt/baltic-journal-of-sport-health/article/view/1144
- Dunbar, R.I.M., Kaskatis, K., MacDonald, I., & Barra, V. (2012). Performance of Music Elevates Pain Threshold and Positive Affect: Implications for the Evolutionary Function of Music. Evolutionary Psychology, 10(4), 688-702. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23089077/
- European Heart Journal (2023). Laughter and cardiovascular health. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehad655.2593
- Randomised controlled study – Laughter Yoga, stress, burnout and cortisol (101 participants). PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27439375/
Sunny Turner | Founder, Serious Laughter | FHT-Accredited Laughter Yoga Teacher | Museum of Happiness Facilitator | Comedy on Prescription Certified Facilitator
Events: seriouslaughter.co.uk/events/
Email: happy@seriouslaughter.co.uk
WhatsApp: +44 7974 778091
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