Happy Nation is based on two basic ideas

  1. Focussing on what makes us happy can bring us to greater heights of joy and fulfilment than focussing solely on the problems we wish to solve. This is the philosophy inherent in Positive Psychology.
  2. Happiness, like any other emotional state, is not an isolated phenomenon – it affects, and is affected by, the people around us. To reach fulfilment we must work towards enhancing the happiness of all, using love, compassion and gratitude. This social happiness philosophy is consistent with the principles of Deep Ecology.

Stephanie Hills has thirty years’ experience working with people in distress, both as a social worker and a counsellor.

A large part of her work has comprised using narrative and art therapy to help people move on from depression. While still helping people facing difficulties, Stephanie’s work has broadened to include the promotion and enhancement of individual and social happiness.

Using the principles of Positive Psychology and Deep Ecology, she assists individuals and groups to improve their functioning in various life spheres, taking into account the social, cultural, economic and environmental context of people’s lives.

  • Don’t give up

    A reader wanted to share this story: Some time after Frank got home from busking at the farmer’s market, he noticed that his glasses had fallen out of his pocket. He searched everywhere at home, without success. With prompting from his wife he decided to go back and look where he’d been busking. Sure enough, […]

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  • Sharing good fortune

    This week I heard about a man who was lucky enough to win a trolley full of groceries. Rather than keep them for himself, he kindly shared out his winnings with friends and colleagues. One woman, thrilled to receive two boxes of goodies from this thoughtful man, immediately decided to pass on some of them […]

  • Compassion makes me happy

    “I am happy when in spite of the ills of the planet and of those close to me I still have the capacity to feel compassion for others. To live without compassion is a one way journey to a lonely place.” ~ Beryl Fletcher Congratulations to Beryl Fletcher, whose response to the question: “What makes […]

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  • Stepping in

    Recently I heard a man tell of the difference it made when he and his wife performed an act of kindness in their neighbourhood. For some months they had been hearing the woman across the road yelling at her kids. The yelling had got worse since her husband had gone to prison. One evening the […]

  • Social benefits of laughter

    In the last newsletter I wrote about the health benefits of laughter; today I’ll talk about the social benefits. After studying 1,200 people laughing spontaneously, Robert Provine concluded that the main purpose of laughter is to bind people together. It’s an instinctive language that we all speak. We laugh when others are laughing, we laugh […]

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Stephanie Hills

Promoting Individual and Social Happiness

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