This Calendar Provides One Science-Backed Happiness Tip Per Day

This summer, a study conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago concluded thathappiness among Americanshit a 50-year low. With each headline reading more preposterous than the last, there’s no wonder that, for the most part, people aren’t exactly jumping with joy this year.

But before we all collectively morph into permanent Grinches, author and illustrator Trina Kushnerik wants to invite us to maintain contact with the bright side with “A Happier Year,” a calendar filled with daily actionable steps that are scientifically proven to promote happiness that’scurrently crowdfunding on Kickstarter.

The University of British Columbia Okanagan graduate explained the inspiration behind the calendar format: “I realized thousands of researchers were figuring out what made us happy, but this information was often stuck in boring academic papers,” Kushnerik said in a press release. “I wanted to find a fun way to seamlessly slip research-based activities into your day.”

The author/illustrator explained how her calendar makes happiness more accessible for everyone. “I didn’t want to write a self-help book that gets read and tossed onto a shelf. I had to find a better format,”Kushnerik added. “I chose the calendar format because it lets you focus on one small action per day. You don’t have to absorb everything all at once.”

Each calendar page includes a different science-backed action and artwork centered around themes of emotional intelligence, hope, gratitude, resilience and more. And if you’re stressed about having yet another task on your daily to-do list, most of the activities can be completed in only a few minutes.

The Kickstarter campaign, launched today, will go toward the costs of manufacturing and publishing for “A Happier Year.” A pledge of $26.30 gets you a copy of the calendar. For more info on the calendar, visit the campaign pagehere.