Smile! 41 of the world’s happiest facts
Finding reasons to be cheerful is a practical pursuit. We enjoy sharing happy facts at Ink Tank. This collection of 41 facts provides a direct route to a better mood.
Animals and nature
1. Scotland’s national animal is the unicorn.
2. Rats laugh when tickled.
3. A group of hummingbirds is called a charm.
4. Octopi often collect shiny objects.
5. Hermit crabs are social creatures that thrive in groups.
6. There is a park in Japan where you can shake hands with otters through small enclosure holes.
7. An average cloud weighs approximately 1.1 million pounds.
8. The ozone layer is healing and should be fully restored by 2050.
9. Some trees can produce 40 different types of rare fruit.
Human achievements
10. There are more public libraries in the US (roughly 119,729) than McDonald’s restaurants globally (over 35,000).
11. James Harrison saved over 2.4 million lives by donating plasma more than 1,000 times. His plasma contains a rare treatment for Rhesus disease.
12. A Malawian teenager built a windmill from junk to bring power to his village. He used an old textbook to learn the mechanics.
13. Volvo invented the three-point seatbelt and shared the patent freely to save lives across the industry.
14. In Istanbul, vending machines dispense food for stray dogs in exchange for empty recyclable bottles.
15. Keanu Reeves gave $50 million of his Matrix earnings to the special effects and makeup staff.
16. Angelina Jolie converted 60,000 hectares of Cambodian land into a wildlife reserve and hired former poachers as rangers.
History and culture
17. Hans Island is a territory disputed by Canada and Denmark. The nations exchange bottles of Schnapps and Canadian Club during visits.
18. Popsicles were invented by an 11-year-old who left soda and a stirring stick outside overnight.
19. Mr. Rogers replied to every piece of fan mail he received.
20. Eucatastrophe is the antonym of catastrophe. Tolkien coined it to mean a happy ending.
21. Snoopy was based on Charles M. Schulz’s childhood pet, Spike.
22. The first ingredient listed for Goldfish crackers is smiles.
23. Neanderthals likely played music. A 40,000-year-old flute made from bear bone was found in Slovenia.
24. The smiley face :-) was formalized in 1982 by Scott Fahlman. Proto-smilies were discussed earlier by Nabokov and Bierce.
25. Tulips were more valuable than gold in 1630s Holland.
26. We say “Hello” because Thomas Edison suggested it. Alexander Graham Bell preferred “Ahoy.”
27. Handshakes originated as a sign that neither person carried a weapon.
28. Vikings gave kittens to newlyweds as household essentials.
29. Vermont, Alaska, Hawaii and Maine ban roadside billboards to protect the scenery.
30. The Queen of England once attended a wedding after being invited as a joke.
31. Bob Ross included a “happy tree” in 91% of his episodes.
32. Sikh community kitchens provide free meals to all visitors regardless of background.
33. Freddie Mercury once took Princess Diana clubbing while she was disguised as a man.
Science and wellbeing
34. Laughter is a universal human language.
35. Someone is currently experiencing the best moment of their life.
36. One week of camping can synchronize your biological clock with the sun.
37. Cuddling releases oxytocin. This helps heal physical wounds and reduces pain.
38. “Nibling” is the gender-neutral term for a niece or nephew.
39. The smell of old books is a chemical combination of grass and vanilla.
40. Musical chills are caused by dopamine release in the brain.
41. Babies recognize their mother’s voice and scent at birth.
Love that a group of hummingbirds are a called a charm. So very apt :)
You might want to check out Hans Rosling’s walkthrough of why the world is so much better off than a few decades ago. Especially worth showing to older people who associate Africa with nothing but famine and that annoying Toto song. http://www.gapminder.org/
I’m surprised by the relative lack of pseudoscience on this page.
The tree ! :)
#8 gives me hope
Rats laugh when tickled.
#34 so so glad to hear~~~!!!
Very glad to hear the ozone layer is healing but now we have to do whatever it takes to deal with climate change.
It might not be earth shattering news but I did smile when I read about Freddie Mercury taking Princess Diana out in disguise. It was sweet to hear she had fun on that night out.
I have a new found respect for Keanu Reeves. If only more people were like him.
That somewhere, right now, someone is having the best time of their life. (And the ozone is healing!) …. ah he’ll, they all make me me happy ?
mine was the ozone layer. I have a fear of the world ending and sea levels rising and global warming, but the ozone layer one made me feel a lot better
4,8,22,25,29,31,34
I like how Freddie Mercury dressed Princess Diana up as man to take her clubbing. It proves even princesses need to get out once in a while.
#35, Bob Ross is so happy with his happy trees and happy clouds. I love it!