Sending a supportive text could be key to daily happiness

A simple message to a friend in need could do more for your happiness than treating yourself to something nice, according to a new study. 

The study, which examined nearly 1,000 participants across mainland China, the UK, US, and Canada, found that small social gestures had a stronger positive impact on well-being than traditionally assumed happiness boosters, like spending money on yourselfor major successes such as a promotion.  

Published this week in Current Psychology, the research showed that most people failed to identify these simple social connections as ways to boost their happiness, instead prioritising solitary or overly ambitious activities as the key to positive well-being. 

Dr Julia Vogt, who led the study from the University of Reading, said: “We might be overlooking easy, everyday opportunities to boost our mood. 

“Most people think happiness requires big changes or purchases, but our research shows it's often much simpler than that. Something as basic as sending a text message to check on a friend can have a remarkably positive impact on our well-being. We found this pattern across different cultures, suggesting that human connection, even in its simplest form, is a universal path to happiness." 

Approaches to happiness

The study showed Chinese participants were more flexible in their approaches to happiness, reporting a wider variety of achievable activities that could make them happy. However, both Chinese and Western participants benefited equally from social engagement, challenging previous assumptions about major cultural differences in approaches to happiness.  

Insights on managing happiness during COVID-19 lockdowns were also captured in the study, which showed that people who adapted their social connections - switching from in-person meetings to online calls or text messages - maintained better mental well-being than those who couldn't adjust their approach. 

The research builds on aprevious study authored by Dr Julia Vogt, published in 2020, which found that placing too much value on feeling happy has the effect of reducing the ability to enjoy experiences. Findings showed this reduction in savouring positive experiences was linked to depressive symptoms. 

Zhang, H., Kahriz, B.M., McCabe, C. et al. How to be happy from east to west: social and flexible pursuit of happiness is associated with positive effects of valuing happiness on well-being. Curr Psychol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-024-07007-z