According to a UN-backed study on global happiness, strangers are twice as kind as people perceive them to be.
The World Happiness Report investigators utilized lost wallets as a means to examine the disparity between public expectations and the actual kindness of strangers.
They discovered that strangers returned lost wallets at a rate that was double what the general public anticipated.
Belief in the kindness of strangers has a far greater impact on happiness than previously realized.
It even surpasses the effects of actual or expected harm.
“The data on wallets is so compelling as it confirms that people are much happier in places where they believe others care about each other,” said John F. Helliwell, an economist at the University of British Columbia and a co-founder of the World Happiness Report.
“The wallet-dropping experiments confirm the accuracy of these beliefs, even though they are universally too pessimistic.”

Nordic nations led the world happiness rankings and also reported the highest expectations and actual returns of lost wallets.
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The UK ranked 23rd out of 147 countries and achieved its lowest average score since record-keeping began in 2017.
The study advised that declining happiness and social trust in the US and parts of Europe might explain the rise of political polarization and anti-establishment votes.
The United States dropped to its lowest happiness ranking ever, finishing 24th.

Researchers suggested this was partly due to a rise in solo meal consumption in America.
While sharing meals with others is globally associated with higher wellbeing, solo diners in America have increased by 53% over the past two decades.

“The findings this year reconfirm a fundamental truth: happiness originates from trust, kindness, and social connection,” stated Jeffrey D. Sachs, president of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network and a founding editor of the report.
“It is our responsibility as individuals and citizens to translate this crucial truth into positive actions, promoting peace, civility, and wellbeing in communities across the world.”