Over half of Gen Z Brits prefer spending time alone to make them feel ‘happy’

The study can reveal that overall, the happiest region across the UK is Northern Ireland, with a happiness score of 3.87 out of 5. In second place with 3.51 is the South West and third is North East with 3.49. The happiness score was calculated by asking respondents to rank their happiness level 1-5, this figure was then averaged for each region to determine a final score.

So, how do Brits combat their worries? Spending time with family is the pastime that makes us the happiest according to the results, with two thirds (63%) choosing this as their favourite activity. Those that chose spending time with their family were on average 8% happier than those that didn't.

Perhaps surprisingly, coming in second is spending time alone, with over a third (42%) selecting this as their favourite ‘happy’ activity. Overall, over half (58%) of Gen Z prefers to be alone more than all other generations. In addition, both men and women prefer being alone to exercising (85% vs 69%), but men would choose exercise more than women if it came down to it.

The survey also analysed what we worry about the most, and can reveal that over a third (39%) are worried about the future, which is understandable, given the current conversations around climate change, global politics and the recent news of the doomsday clock being moved to 89 seconds to midnight. In addition to the future, nearly half (45%) worry about their health and a third (32%) worry about work.

Anna Shears, Positive Psychologist MSc & Accredited Coach Practitioner commented: “Happiness can be found any time, any place, anywhere. It is a way of living and experiencing life, but not everyone knows how easy it is to tap into happiness. In today’s busy world we can often be distracted by social media scrolling, negativity in the news, our endless ‘to do’ list or a packed diary. Over committing ourselves and not being fully present can lead to feelings of overwhelm, low mood and exhaustion.

“But the good news is there are lots of things we can do to help shift our thinking and improve our mood so we can experience joy and happiness more often. One way to create daily moments of happiness is to ‘bookend your day with joy’. This involves consciously choosing to do something that you enjoy for the first and last 15 minutes of your day.

"This could simply be listening to your favourite song, writing in a journal, reading a book or being present with your loved ones or pets, whatever works for you. Another is to stop making happiness conditional or delaying your happiness for future achievements. You do this by simply resisting the urge to tell yourself, ‘I’ll be happy when…’

“The key is making happiness a deliberate priority rather than hoping it happens accidentally after everything else is done. Living in the moment and appreciating everything we have in our lives helps to increase happiness over the longer term. It all starts with consciously choosing to be happy today.”

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