At the Happier Lives Institute, we look for the best ways globally to improve human happiness.
Our research shows that the most cost-effective charities have about 1,000 times more impact per dollar than standard charities.
Supporting them is one of the most impactful things you can do.
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We find the charities that do the most good per dollar, measured in WELLBYs.
Commission wellbeing research for your organisation, programme or policy.
Our analyses, methods and reviews of happiness and wellbeing science.
We use a metric called the Wellbeing-Adjusted Life Year, or WELLBY, which has also been adopted by the UK Treasury and New Zealand government.
You can think of a WELLBY as a year of happiness. More technically, a WELLBY is a one-point increase in wellbeing, on a scale of 0-10, for one person for one year
The Happier Lives Institute has been pioneering the WELLBY since 2019, because it allows us to measure what really matters.
Top Charities are thoroughly investigated and backed by strong evidence. Promising Charities are likely to be extremely cost-effective, but need more evidence to qualify as Top Charities.
We have paused our recommendation of Friendship Bench while we reassess it, and expect to share our decision by the end of November 2026. In the meantime, you can’t donate to Friendship Bench through HLI, and it isn’t part of the Happier Lives Fund. Read the full update.
$25 = 1 WELLBY
StrongMinds is transforming depression treatment with a cost-effective, scalable model.
$21 = 1 WELLBY
Friendship Bench Zimbabwe reimagines the delivery of evidence-based healthcare.
$9 = 1 WELLBY
$15 = 1 WELLBY
Taimaka has reimagined pediatric malnutrition treatment by making it more cost-effective and scalable.
Not sure which to choose? The Happier Lives Fund supports all four: 90% is allocated among them and 10% funds our research. Discover the Happier Lives Fund →
The Happier Lives Institute is the only organisation that researches the most cost-effective ways globally to improve wellbeing.
252,451
WELLBYs created
194,193
years of depression averted
$10.5m
of charitable donations influenced towards high-impact charities
$10.5bn
what our donors would have to give to standard charities for the same impact
How we calculate this: see our impact page
Enter your yearly income, currency, and the % you would like to donate
to understand how many WELLBYs you can create.
You are donating 0 per year. This would create...
XX One WELLBY is equivalent to a 1-point increase on a 0-10 wellbeing scale for one year. Read more about the WELLBY, or XX A YODA is a year of depression averted. Read more about YODAs, by providing XX people with psychotherapy via StrongMinds
Donate to StrongMindsXX One WELLBY is equivalent to a 1-point increase on a 0-10 wellbeing scale for one year. Read more about the WELLBY, or XX A YODA is a year of depression averted. Read more about YODAs, by providing XX people with psychotherapy via Friendship Bench
Donate to Friendship BenchXX One WELLBY is equivalent to a 1-point increase on a 0-10 wellbeing scale for one year. Read more about the WELLBY, or XX A YODA is a year of depression averted. Read more about YODAs, by treating XX children for acute malnutrition via Taimaka
Donate to TaimakaXX One WELLBY is equivalent to a 1-point increase on a 0-10 wellbeing scale for one year. Read more about the WELLBY, or XX A YODA is a year of depression averted. Read more about YODAs, by saving XX children from lead exposure via Pure Earth
Donate to Pure EarthCan’t decide between these charities? Donate to our Happier Lives Fund and we’ll allocate your donation between them
Donate to the Happier Lives Fund“It was through HLI that I became aware of StrongMinds and started donating to that remarkable organisation. Doing what we can to make everyone’s lives happier is something we should all be concerned about.”
“HLI is at the cutting edge of wellbeing research. They are leading the way to ensure that philanthropists and policymakers use their resources as effectively as possible to make people happier.”
“I’ve been very impressed with the quality of HLI’s work. They help represent more diverse views, raise the standards for us all, and this greatly improves the effective giving ecosystem.”
We’ll update you on wellbeing research and how to make the world a happier place.
