New manifesto from Wall’s suggests happiness lies in social connections and communities whilst also calling for happiness to become a recognised marker of social progress
According to a new manifesto from global ice cream brand Wall’s, people across the world are calling for happiness to be recognised as a marker for social progress. Launched at Goals House, the telling insight has been revealed as part of the findings from a global survey exploring the effects of lockdowns on people’s perceptions of happiness.
Titled “Wall’s Manifesto for a Happier World”, the manifesto includes research from Wall’s conducted in 12 different countries across the globe, surveying 12,500 people, which reveals that:
· 65% say interactions with people during lockdown changed their outlook on happiness
· 78% now feel strongly that happiness and wellbeing should be prioritised over money
· 63% want their government to take action to put happiness before economic recovery
· 58% found human connection is what really makes them happy
· 76% admitted they knew more about celebrities’ lives than their own neighbours’
(but this has changed during lockdown)
· 62% said that lockdown has made them feel more part of their community
The Wall’s manifesto reflects on last year and argues that global lockdowns drove people to re-evaluate life’s priorities. For too long people have been looking for happiness in the wrong places and the isolation from family and friends has given us a renewed appreciation for the importance of human connections and community support in our lives.
Speaking about the manifesto, Happiness Expert, LSE Professor and co-author of the World Happiness Report, Lord Richard Layard said: “What we see in the data in this manifesto is an indication of a wider societal shift; for too long people have linked material possessions, financial prosperity and success to happiness. And whilst these are undoubtedly important, people are coming to the realisation that it is human relationships and connections that bring true meaning and happiness to one’s life. This is a topic I have dedicated many decades to, and it’s promising to see this realisation gathering momentum.”
Society’s clear desire to rethink how national development is measured presents an opportunity to change the current system, which overlooks happiness and wellbeing. As official partners of the UN SDSN World Happiness Report, Wall’s is committed to boosting the happiness movement so that governments prioritise the happiness of their citizens.
World-renowned economics professor and senior UN advisor Jeffrey Sachs said: “People in every culture and society share common hopes and aspirations for a better world. Increased global connectedness depends on a strong home base of family and community. That’s the beauty of an interconnected world: meaning starts at home and reaches the entire planet”.
Wall’s will be working throughout 2021 and beyond to bring academics, policy makers, businesses, communities and activists together to consider how we can develop a blueprint for a future where happiness is considered a measure of development.By doing this, and celebrating community togetherness and social connections, we’ll be able to create a better world and live a happier future.Ian Maskell, Vice President at Wall’s, said: “Wall’s provides the world with 28 billion portions of happiness each year. Our experience of spreading happiness and bringing people together makes us determined to lead the global movement to prioritise happiness. Human beings are happiest when well connected with friends, family and community. Wall’s is in the business of creating social connections, please join us in making the world a happier place”
Electronic copies of the manifesto can be viewed at: https://www.unilever.com/Images/walls-manifesto_tcm244-558473_en.pdf
About Wall’s
Wall’s commitment to happiness is deeply embedded in the company.
Wall’s is the largest and most loved ice cream brand globally. At the turn of the last century, our founders took over streets across the globe to spread their ice-cream magic. The result? Happier hearts opening up to each other. Their vision inspired us to continue to act as leaders in driving social change. We know that ice-creams reliably offer people small moments of happiness, with UK researchers at the Institute of Psychiatry revealing that when ice cream is consumed, it lights up the brain’s pleasure zones providing an immediate effect on the parts of the brain known to activate when people are enjoying themselves. We believe that, as a brand, we can play a huge role in building a happier more inclusive world, one street at a time.
The brand also upholds principles for responsible food & beverage marketing to children, adopting new thinking when it comes to where, what and how it communicates to parents & children. Wall’s was the first global ice cream brand to carry the ‘Responsibly made for kids’ promise.
Since 2013 Wall’s has been working with partners on a programme called Vanilla for Change in Madagascar. It’s designed to help smallholder farmers improve their livelihoods and provide Wall’s ice cream with more secure and sustainable sources of natural vanilla.