after surveying 8,500 teenagers, auckland university researchers found that what made teens happy had nothing to do with money, peers or the number of followers they had on instagram. the secret to happiness is having a healthy relationship with their parents. a solid family unit with open communication, loving discipline, and bottomless encouragement and acceptance results in happy, confident young people.
mercedes and anastasia korngut, two entrepreneurial sisters and best friends, have the science of happiness figured out—and they’re still in high school! the calgary, ab teens, 16 and 14, are sharing their know-how for being happy with moms, dads, and their kids around the globe.
ambitious? yes—and they’re incredibly passionate about helping families live healthy, happy lives through their website and resources at
small bits of happiness. it couldn’t come at a better time, with mental health disorders on the rise and teens spending endless hours on digital media only to experience higher levels of loneliness.
“during the pandemic, i was about 13, anastasia was about 11, so we were on the brink of teenage hood and between hormones and friendship issues and all the things going on in the world, like climate change and the pandemic, we were feeling quite sad and stressed. so, we started to look for ways to feel happier,” mercedes explains. “as a family, we would go on walks and watch the sunset or maybe cuddle with our dog (coco the chocolate labrador) or share some chocolate. and all those things really helped us feel happier. we realized, ‘hey, if they’re helping us feel happier, they might help other people and other teens feel happier, too.’ so, we really wanted to share that.”
6 minute read
