Hands up – who's happy?

Momentarily forget the disaster that was 2016 and the fact that today is Blue Monday (apparently, the most depressing day of the year when stacking debt, failed resolutions, abysmal weather and post-festive reality hit us like a ton of bricks).

We're talking day-to-day happiness.

When it comes to friends, family, career, sex life, money, how content are you? Well, if the answer is 'not very', it's about time you change it.

As part of a worldwide Happiness Index survey (and ELLE UK's How To Be Happy in 2017 exclusive event), we asked women from the across the UK to rate how happy they were.

The key findings showed that:

  • 63.5 per cent said they were 'happy', while 25 per cent said 'not so happy'
  • The biggest source of happiness was 'family' (36.5 per cent) as opposed to 'professional life' (7 per cent)
  • 52.9 per cent said their biggest priority was their career
  • 53.6 per cent said they were 'somewhat confident' about their future

via GIPHY

From the results, you can see the discrepancies between perceived happiness and the source of happiness.

For many women, trying to measure how content they are (and the source of this contentment) hinges on the age-old dilemma of having a career and family, and whether they can successfully balance both without prioritising one over the other.

For most, it looks like 2017 will be about making strides to achieving equality in the workplace and closing the gender pay gap more than ever – just two of the factors that make it difficult for many women to have a fulfilling career and raise a family.

via GIPHY

For the remaining 25 per cent who aren't so happy, it'll be about figuring out what you want to achieve this year. From travelling, to fitness goals, to starting new relationships: it's time to find your joie de vivre.

So, grab 'Blue Monday' by the horns and use it as a catalyst for embracing happiness, and making positive changes that will see you out through the rest of the year.

And if you need a little inspiration, let our February cover star Elle Fanning show you how...

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