Skip to main content

Deep Dive: Happy (2012)

Play Trailer

Film Lens

Happy
Happy is a documentary directed by Roko Belic that examines the concept of happiness through interviews with individuals from diverse backgrounds across 14 countries. The film includes insights from leading happiness researchers and personal stories, such as a rickshaw driver in Kolkata and a family in a cohousing community in Denmark. The film's narrative is informed by the latest findings in positive psychology. The inspiration for the film came from an article in The New York Times that ranked the United States as the 23rd-happiest country in the world. This prompted Belic to interview hundreds of people, including psychologists like Ed Diener and Sonja Lyubomirsky, to gather a wide range of perspectives on what contributes to happiness.

Why Watch

  • •Meet happiness researchers like Ed Diener and Sonja Lyubomirsky.
  • •Find out what a rickshaw driver in Kolkata thinks about happiness.
  • •See how a family in Denmark lives in a cohousing community.

Did You Know

•The United States is ranked 23rd in happiness according to a 2011 article.
•Roko Belic interviewed hundreds of people for the film.
•The Kickstarter campaign for the film raised $36,000 in July 2010.
•The film was shot using three Sony Z1U HDV video cameras.

Perfect For

Psychology enthusiastsDocumentary loversGlobal culture fans