A happier population leads to a more helpful society. That’s according to a study by a Deakin University researcher who studied people in West and East Germany before and after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Dr Cahit Guven found that levels of happiness and optimism affected the frequency of volunteer work, attendance at cultural events, social gatherings and religious events, as well as people’s desire to vote and help others, respect for law and order, their social participation and their attachment to their neighbourhood.
He concluded that happiness at an early stage of life led to an increase in trust in others, and a greater engagement with society later in life.
Read more at Deakin University