Do you feel that your life is full of good things?  

Or if you’re a numbers person, where would you put yesterday on a 0-10 scale from misery to bliss?  

I’m not being random. The World Happiness Report 2026 is published today, which has prompted me to ask.  

The report looks at the question from a national perspective, but I read it with law firms and lawyers in mind.  

I’m guessing you have a busy day ahead, so here are some takeaways from the report as answers to questions that often crop up.  

What’s a good measure of how happy I am? (1) how much you laughed, enjoyed life and did interesting things in the last 24 hours and (2) how well you feel your life is going.  

Is being happy a serious business for lawyers? Yes. “There is much evidence that those who have happier lives are more likely to live longer, be more trusting and cooperative, and generally better able to meet life’s demands.”    

Is having a happy law firm a serious business for leaders? Yes. The previous paragraph is about improving collaboration and resilience while reducing risk and ER problems. There are other benefits, like not being reported to the regulator or sued, having a good reputation and attracting and keeping great people.  

How does your ratio of positive to negative emotions compare to the global average? “Positive emotions continue to be twice as frequent as negative emotions.” Do you work in a culture where people are generous, and you experience a sense of freedom at work? “Freedom and generosity have large impacts on positive affect, which in turn has a major impact on life evaluation.”  

Are you getting sucked in to social media against your will? “In a sample of US college students, the majority wished that social media platforms did not exist. They use them because others are using them, but they would prefer it if no one did.”  

Are your go-to social media platforms fuelling unhappiness: “The most problematic platforms are those where the main use is passive, and the main material is visual (encouraging social comparisons) and often comes from influencers.”  

Can you move to Finland, or at least a Nordic country? “Nordic countries lead the happiness rankings once again. Finland is still in a group of one at the top…”  

Did you know that the global picture is getting happier? “Looking at changes in happiness from the 2006-2010 base period to 2023-2025, nearly twice as many countries have had significant gains (79) than significant losses (41), among the 136 countries ranked.”  

But not so much in the West. “In general, most Western industrial countries are now less happy than they were between 2005 and 2010.”  

With so much strife in the world, I hope that you have a good day, and experience a little more happiness, generosity and freedom to where you are.  

I'd love to know one thing that made you a little bit happier in the last 24 hours. For me, it was seeing the blossom. It reminded me of living in Japan, the people I met and the community there. We’d be interested to hear what’s lifted your day.

Here's a link to the report: World Happiness Report 2026