What makes people feel happy?

Ask 2,000 people what makes them happy and you’ll get a different answer from almost everyone. While there are many things that contribute to an individual’s happiness, research suggests that our social relationships at home and at work, financial security, and rest and relaxation all play a vital role. 

So, who and what makes us happy personally and professionally? And how often do people feel happy in a typical month? Here’s what new research from HR and payroll software provider Ciphr found:

Quick links to full results:

We each have our own long list of ‘things’ that make us feel happy – the relationships, places, sights, sounds, experiences, and things we do, which give us 'glimmers' or everyday moments of joy and happiness. That can be anything from walking your dog, watching cat videos, or playing board games to meeting up with friends, relaxing with your family, or spending some time on your own. 

Yet despite people’s many differences and preferences, we do also share many things in common when it comes to what makes us happy.  

The top 15 things that make people feel happy, according to a survey of 2,000 employed adults in the UK, are:

• Their partner/relationship (63% of respondents)
• Their family (62%)
• Their friends/friendships (56%)
• Relaxing (55%)       
• Money/having financial security (54%)        
• Having ‘me time’ (54%)      
• Getting enough sleep (53%)       
• Being on holiday / going on holiday (53%)       
• Good food/eating well (53%)      
• My child/children (52%)
• Smiling/laughing (52%)        
• Feeling appreciated/valued (48%)       
• Weekends (46%)        
• Being/feeling healthy (45%)
• Being outdoors (43%)  

The survey shows that different things make women and men happy. For example, notably more women than men cited feeling appreciated and valued as a driver for their happiness (54% of surveyed women vs 40% of surveyed men). 

Women also appear comparatively more likely than men to value having ‘me time’, being on holiday, and saving money (among other things). 

Some of the biggest differences between what women and men said makes them feel happy include:

• Having ‘me time’/time to myself (60% of surveyed women vs 45% of surveyed men)
• Smiling/laughing (58% vs 43%)
• Feeling appreciated/valued (54% vs 40%)
• Feeling included/feeling a sense of belonging (41% vs 27%)
• Singing and/or dancing (25% vs 12%)
• Being kind/helping and supporting others (43% vs 30%)
• Being on holiday/going on holiday (59% vs 46%)
• Finding a bargain/saving money (44% vs 31%)
• Getting enough sleep (59% vs 46%)
• Feeling listened to and heard (40% vs 28%)

In comparison, a greater share of men than women said their career makes them feel happy (21% of surveyed men vs 19% of surveyed women), as does exercising and being active (39% vs 37%).

Check out the full list of things that make UK women and men happy in the chart below.

And keep scrolling to see what makes different age groups happiest.

Note: You are welcome to use this image (above) – the top 10 things that make people feel happy – as it has been released under the Attribution Creative Commons licence. We do ask that you credit and link to ciphr.com.

The relationships we have with others are often the biggest contributors to our happiness. 

Nearly two-thirds (63%) of people said their partner or their relationship makes them feel happy, followed by their family (62%), and then their friends (56%). Just over half (52%) said the same about their child or children. And two-fifths (42%) of men and women said that their pet or pets make them feel happy.

In February 2026, HR software provider Ciphr commissioned a survey of 2,000 employed UK adults using OnePoll to discover how frequently, if at all, people feel happy. 

According to the results, people feel happy around 18 days a month. And one in nine (11%) people feel happy every day.

The people in our lives have a big influence on our happiness. When you consider that a typical full-time employee works 36.9 hours a week, it’s perhaps unsurprising that, for many people, a positive connection with work colleagues can have a big impact on their engagement, productivity, and happiness.

Based on Ciphr’s findings, the top five factors that drive employee happiness at work include the people who they work with (selected by 36% of employed UK adults), seeing the results of their work (36%), being recognised for their work (34%), doing purposeful and meaningful work (34%), and enjoying the work they do (33%) .

People working at middle management level or higher are the most likely to say that seeing the results of their work makes them feel happy (42% vs 30% of those in non-management roles). They are also more likely to be happy with their salary and benefits (37% vs 26%) and are more likely to say that they like the company they work for (26% vs 17%).

Ciphr commissioned OnePoll to conduct a survey of 2,000 UK-based employees. The survey ran between 4-8 February 2026. 

People were asked: 

1. On average, how many days of the month do you typically feel happy?
2. Who, if anyone, makes you feel happy?
3. Which, if any, of the following makes you feel happy?
4. What, if anything, makes you feel happy at work?

People who answered '0 - I don't feel happy on any days' to the first question (3.1% of respondents), were not shown questions 2-4. 

Over half (59%) of respondents are female, two-fifths (41%) are male, and 0.3% are non-binary. 2% of respondents are aged 18-24 years, 17% are 25-34-years, 28% are 35-44 years, 26% are 45-54 years, 21% are 55-64 years and 6% are 65 years old or older. 

17% of survey respondents work in leadership or senior management roles at their organisations, 22% work in middle management positions, 13% in junior management, 16% are supervisors, and a third (32%) work in non-managerial or junior roles.