Sources & Methodology

Mappiness (LSE) MacKerron & Mourato. 3+ million happiness observations from 60,000+ UK participants via smartphone app, 2010–2022. Used for all happiness impact scores.
mappiness.org.uk

American Time Use Survey 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, USDL-25-1060, June 2025. Primary source for time spent on activities.
bls.gov/tus

Pew Research Center "Americans' Social Media Use 2025." Nov 2025. Used for social media time data.
pewresearch.org

Track Your Happiness Killingsworth & Gilbert (2010). "A Wandering Mind Is an Unhappy Mind." Science 330(6006). Corroborates activity-happiness rankings.
trackyourhappiness.org

Census Bureau / ACS American Community Survey. Average one-way commute time 27.6 min (2022). Used for commuting time estimates.

Methodology: Happiness scores are relative to each person's baseline average (e.g., +8.12 means "8.12 points happier than your personal average while exercising"). Time data represents averages across all Americans 15+, including weekdays and weekends. Social media time combines smartphone + desktop usage. Activities sorted by happiness impact score, highest to lowest.