The Happiness Research Institute
The Happiness Research Institute is an independent Copenhagen-based think tank that researches subjective wellbeing and develops the proprietary WALY metric, serving policymakers, global corporations, and healthcare organizations through reports, keynotes, consulting partnerships, and bestselling books.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersCopenhagen, Denmark
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Happiness Research Institute does
The Happiness Research Institute (HRI) is an independent think tank headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, founded and led by CEO Meik Wiking. The organization conducts research on subjective wellbeing and happiness, exploring why some societies are happier than others and producing evidence-based recommendations for policymakers, corporations, and healthcare organizations. Its core intellectual property is the Wellbeing Adjusted Life Years (WALY) metric, a scientifically-validated framework developed in collaboration with Leaps by Bayer that translates disparate impacts (disease, climate change, poverty, loneliness, and policy choices) into a single comparable unit measuring years of life lived in full wellbeing. WALY is operationalized through a freely available online calculator and reference library, supporting both academic research and enterprise decision-making.
HRI monetizes through a diversified portfolio: keynote presentations and speaking engagements delivered globally (from corporate boardrooms to European parliaments), sale of research publications and reports, book sales via Penguin Random House (with cumulative sales exceeding one million copies led by 'The Little Book of Hygge'), collaborative research partnerships and consulting engagements with enterprise clients (Leaps by Bayer, Jabra, Kingfisher plc, LEO Innovation Lab, Valcon), and government advisory work (notably with the Nordic Council of Ministers). Additional offerings include an online Happiness Course distributed through 42courses.com, the Mood Snapshot research app for app-based data collection, the physical Happiness Museum in Copenhagen, and the 10 Leaps Initiative framing major global challenges. Customer segments span private corporations, government and policy makers, conference organizers, and healthcare and life sciences organizations, with a hybrid go-to-market combining sales-led keynote bookings with project-based consulting and co-research arrangements.
The Happiness Research Institute firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Happiness Research Institute
- Legal name
- The Happiness Research Institute
- Website
- https://happinessresearchinstitute.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Happiness Research Institute is an independent Copenhagen-based think tank that researches subjective wellbeing and develops the proprietary WALY metric, serving policymakers, global corporations, and healthcare organizations through reports, keynotes, consulting partnerships, and bestselling books.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Happiness Research Institute industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Wellbeing Research & Consulting
- NAICS
- Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416), Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191)
- SIC
- Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Workplace Wellness & Wellbeing Education (EDAAAHAN)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Mental Wellness & Resilience Education (Non-clinical) (EDAAAHAK), Wellness Program Design & Accountability Coaching (HSADAGAC)
Keywords
Where The Happiness Research Institute is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Copenhagen
- HQ country
- Denmark
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Happiness Research Institute business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Keynotes and Presentations: Booking fees for keynote speeches and presentations at corporate events, policy summits, academic conferences, and community gatherings worldwide.
- Research Publications and Reports: Sale of published reports and research findings to organizations and the public. Includes World Psoriasis Happiness Reports and sector-specific studies.
- Book Sales: Sales of books by Meik Wiking including 'The Little Book of Hygge', 'The Art of Danish Living', and other happiness-focused publications. Books have sold over 1 million copies worldwide.
- Research Partnerships and Consulting: Collaborative research projects with public and private organizations including Leaps by Bayer, Nordic Council of Ministers, and corporate partners to identify drivers of wellbeing and conduct data-driven analyses.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
The Happiness Research Institute product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Happiness Research Institute is an independent think tank that conducts research on happiness and subjective wellbeing, advising governments, corporations, and organizations on the drivers of quality of life. It commercializes its findings through keynote presentations, commissioned research partnerships, and consulting (including Happiness Lab implementations), while also publishing reports, books, an online course, and operating a curated Happiness Museum in Copenhagen.
Product overview
The Happiness Research Institute operates as a research-focused organization offering a portfolio of interconnected products and services. The core offerings center on WALY (Wellbeing Adjusted Life Years), a proprietary metric that quantifies human wellbeing impact, delivered through the WALY Calculator online tool. The Institute publishes research reports and studies, and offers consulting services including Happiness Labs implementation. Educational offerings include The Happiness Course and published books by CEO Meik Wiking. The organization also operates The Happiness Museum in Copenhagen and provides expert presentation/keynote services. The 10 Leaps Initiative represents a research program exploring major global health and sustainability challenges. All offerings are grounded in subjective wellbeing research methodologies.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- WALY Calculator A freely available online tool featuring a collection of Wellbeing Adjusted Life Years (WALY) values spanning impact areas related to disease, climate, social conditions, and more, enabling users to model and compare wellbeing scenarios.
- Research Publications
Quantifiable outcome
- WALY metric translates disease, climate, poverty, and policy impacts into single comparable unit
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use The Happiness Research Institute
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
The Happiness Research Institute technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
The Happiness Research Institute partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- Leaps by BayerflagshipCollaboration to develop WALY (Wellbeing Adjusted Life Years) metric for measuring happiness return on investment (HROI). Joint development of measurement system for evaluating impact of treatments on well-being of populations. WALY can be used as universal KPI to compare which organization provides greatest return to humanity.
- ValconcoreImplementation of Happiness Labs at Valcon in 2018, aiming to increase employee happiness. Continuous measuring and surveying of employees including management to determine key drivers of happiness and design interventions.
- Nordic Council of MinisterscoreResearch on relationship between social media use and well-being for young people. Analysis of independent study and PISA data to provide nuanced insights for policy-makers on social media impact.
- LEO Innovation LabcoreExploring the effect of psoriasis on happiness and publishing World Psoriasis Happiness Reports since 2017. Analysis of data from nearly 80,000 psoriasis patients across 21 countries to improve lives of 125+ million people with psoriasis.
- Kingfisher plccorePan-European study to understand impact of homes on happiness and well-being. Surveys from more than 13,000 people and 70+ in-depth interviews across 10 European countries to identify major determinants of happiness at home.
- JabracoreCollaboration on 'Work and wellbeing in the age of AI' study published in 2025. Survey of 3,700 knowledge workers across 11 countries exploring relationship between AI use and wellbeing.
- Leaps by BayercoreLeaps by Bayer Impact Report 2024 showcasing transformational change potential in their portfolio through WALY measurement system developed with Happiness Research Institute.
- Henning Larsen ArchitectsminorCollaboration on Happy Home project to raise awareness of drivers of happiness in homes and communities.
- Rambøll Management Consultancy & RambøllminorPartners on Happy Home project exploring what makes people happy about their homes.
- Jascha FondenminorCollaboration on 'The neurodegenerative toll on happiness' study focusing on what truly matters to patients with neurodegenerative diseases.
- Sammen på Tværs (formerly Elderlearn)minorInternal evaluation of initiative in social and health care field examining how supporting linguistic and cultural skills impacts sosu's well-being, attachment and retention.
- Matter NeurosciencecoreCollaborative research study exploring relationship between wellbeing, daily activities, and positive memories. Uses Mood Snapshot app and Matter Neuroscience app for data collection.
- Danica PensionminorPartner logo displayed on HRI website as part of partner network.
- Penguin Random HousecorePublisher of Meik Wiking's books including 'The Little Book of Hygge' (million-copy bestseller) and 'The Art of Danish Living'.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Happiness Research Institute competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Limeade: Corporate wellbeing platform offering employee wellbeing measurement and engagement programs. Comparable at the workplace-wellbeing intervention layer where HRI's Happiness Labs and Valcon work sit, though Limeade is software-led and HRI is research-led.
- Headspace Health: Consumer and enterprise mental wellbeing platform with research arm publishing wellbeing studies. Comparable in workplace wellbeing and consumer-facing education, though much larger and venture-backed.
Direct peers
- New Economics Foundation: UK-based think tank focused on wellbeing economy, National Well-being Index (with ONS), and policy research. Comparable as a mission-driven research organization producing wellbeing indicators and consulting with government and enterprise.
- UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (World Happiness Report): Publishes the annual World Happiness Report — the most cited global happiness ranking. HRI advisor John Helliwell co-edits it. Directly comparable as a happiness research publication and policy-influence platform.
- What Works Wellbeing (Centre for Well-being, Oxford / LSE): UK research center synthesizing evidence on wellbeing interventions for policymakers and practitioners. Comparable as a wellbeing-research and evidence-synthesis body, with similar funding mix from government and foundations.
Broad incumbents
- Gallup (Wellbeing & World Poll): Gallup runs the World Poll and a major workplace wellbeing research practice, producing global wellbeing rankings and consulting for corporations and governments. Highly comparable to HRI's research-and-advisory model, but at much larger scale and broader scope.
- OECD Better Life Initiative: OECD's Better Life Index measures wellbeing across member countries and supports policy work on going beyond GDP. Closely comparable to HRI's policy advisory and wellbeing-measurement work, with substantially larger institutional backing.
Others
- Institute for Well-Being in Law: Specialized institute producing wellbeing research and resources for the legal profession. Thematically adjacent — comparable as a research-driven organization focused on wellbeing measurement and intervention in a specific sector.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Happiness Research Institute social profiles
Digital presenceThe Happiness Research Institute financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Happiness Research Institute leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
The Happiness Research Institute funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Happiness Research Institute M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Happiness Research Institute
What does The Happiness Research Institute do?
The Happiness Research Institute is an independent think tank that conducts research on happiness and subjective wellbeing, advising governments, corporations, and organizations on the drivers of quality of life. It commercializes its findings through keynote presentations, commissioned research partnerships, and consulting (including Happiness Lab implementations), while also publishing reports, books, an online course, and operating a curated Happiness Museum in Copenhagen.
Is The Happiness Research Institute a public or private company?
The Happiness Research Institute is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Happiness Research Institute founded?
The Happiness Research Institute was founded in 2013. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Happiness Research Institute based?
The Happiness Research Institute is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, in the Europe region.
How does The Happiness Research Institute make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Keynotes and Presentations are the primary driver. The others are research Publications and Reports, book Sales and research Partnerships and Consulting.
Who are The Happiness Research Institute's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Limeade and Headspace Health. Direct peers are New Economics Foundation, UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (World Happiness Report) and What Works Wellbeing (Centre for Well-being, Oxford / LSE). Broad incumbents are Gallup (Wellbeing & World Poll) and OECD Better Life Initiative. Institute for Well-Being in Law is listed as an others.
Does The Happiness Research Institute have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Happiness Research Institute.
What industry is The Happiness Research Institute in?
The Happiness Research Institute's product category is Wellbeing Research & Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAAAHAN, Workplace Wellness & Wellbeing Education, with a secondary code of EDAAAHAK, Mental Wellness & Resilience Education (Non-clinical). Its NAICS code is 54172 and its SIC code is 8731.