Since 2014, Live Happy has been creating awareness for worldwide happiness with our #HappyActs campaign. On March 20, every year we celebrate happiness by hosting pop-up walls where people can share their messages of happiness and hope. From nearly 30 walls in 2014 to an amazing 715 in 2018, we could never have pulled of such a feat without the help of our Happy Activist volunteers.
In more than 20 countries, hundreds of happiness enthusiasts sign up at HappyActs.org every year to be a wall host and help bring more joy to the world. One of those happy hosts is Jane Serr from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and she has been involved with #HappyActs for the past five years. She really enjoys helping people realize that they can live a happier life and her experiences at her Happiness Walls have left a profound effect on her.
“I’ve always loved volunteering because of the release of the positive endorphins being a part of something that is good and amazing,” she says. “It’s nice to see what it does for other people and you get sort of a euphoric feeling in your own heart. I get to see what it does for other people and it just makes me feel good. It lets me know that I am doing something good in the world.”
These good feelings are backed up by science, too. Author and professor of psychology Catherine A. Sanderson, Ph.D., writes in her latest book The Positive Shift, that research shows that when we do kind things for others we can increase our own happiness, which can have benefits on our health and well-being, and even extends our lives.
Jane feels this is a “win, win” scenario and she has been able to create a lot of happiness at her Happiness Walls over the years. Whether it’s dancing to music, children playing and getting their faces painted or just people expressing their gratitude for her bringing more happiness into the world, happy people are interacting with each other, having fun and sharing their #HappyActs.
“There are so many different things you can do at your wall and nothing is written in stone,” Jane says. “As long as it brings a smile and gets people out of their comfort zone and draws them in so they can understand the culture of what we are trying to do.”
She admits that she gets curious looks from passersby, but once people stop to see what the buzz is about, the questions go from “What is this?” to “How can I do this?” The infectious feelings of happiness permeate, creating smiles for miles.
