Even though there are many holidays that encourage people to take care of their own needs on a particular date on the calendar, this holiday isn’t one of them. Instead, this holiday encourages people to do something nice for someone else—something that’s going to make the other person happy. This holiday is called National I Want You To Be Happy Day, and it’s celebrated on March 3rd every year. It’s a great holiday to give someone in your life the gift of happiness—one of the most valuable gifts one person can give to another.

The History of National I Want You To Be Happy Day

It’s unclear who invented this holiday or when they invented it. All that’s known is that it was invented sometime around the turn of the 21st century, as there’s no mention of it before then. Regardless of its origins, this is a holiday that seems to get more popular every year.

Some Interesting Facts About Happiness

Since this holiday is all about making people happy, we thought it would be appropriate to take a few moments and talk about happiness. Scientists have long been obsessed with happiness and its effect on the human body, and as a result, there are some nice scientific facts about happiness available. And we’re going to list these facts below.

Happiness Can Protect the Heart

A 2005 study discovered that happiness lowers blood pressure and heart rate—leading to better cardiovascular health. To study the effect of happiness on the heart, researchers had participants rate their happiness 30 times over the course of a day, and then three years later, do the same thing. What they discovered is that people who reported being happier had a heart rate that was about 6 beats slower than unhappy participants. They also discovered their blood pressure was measurably lower.

Happiness Can Boost the Immune System

A 2003 experiment had over 300 participants willingly exposed to the common cold. Before they were exposed, however, researchers checked in on them over a two-week period to find out how often they experienced positive emotions. The researchers discovered that those who experienced the most positive emotions over that time were less likely to develop a cold.

Happiness Can Lower Pain Levels

A 2001 study showed that people who had positive emotions suffered fewer aches and pains than people who had fewer instances of positive emotions. They also discovered that happier people recovered from muscle strains quicker than people with a more negative outlook.

Observing National I Want You To Be Happy Day

Celebrating this holiday is very easy. All that has to be done is for a person to take the time to give someone else a special day. They can do this by complimenting them, giving them a special gift, or helping them with a particular problem. No matter how this holiday is celebrated, however, people should make sure to use the hashtag #NationalIWantYouToBeHappyDay on their social media accounts to spread the word.