How Atlanta can get the gold medal for happiness

Last year, the World Happiness Report released its annual ranking of the world’s happiest countries. While America brought home 12 gold medals from the Winter Olympic Games, we’ve been falling short in the games that might actually matter most.

The U.S. has never ranked in the top 10 in global happiness, and as of last year, we fell to 24, its lowest ranking ever. Ouch!

We will learn Thursday — when the 2026 World Happiness Report is released — exactly where the U.S. and nearly 140 other countries stand. However, an early peek at the numbers suggests Finland will reign supreme for the ninth year in a row.

Craig Robinson is an Atlanta-based author, executive coach and adjunct professor at Emory Goizueta Business School. (Courtesy)

While America lags behind the Nordic countries and even neighbors like Mexico and Canada, it’s not hard to imagine why. We have so much, yet we seem to value so little. Our society prioritizes achievement, money and status. We spend far less time encouraging connection, finding authentic purpose or sharing. Social media and a fractured political environment have only exacerbated a feeling of tribalism over the “caring and sharing” values highlighted in the report.

While previously running a global division for WeWork, I led teams that designed and operated spaces intended to encourage productivity, engagement, and — dare I say it — happiness. I saw firsthand that my desire for fulfillment wasn’t unique. My teams delivered millions of square feet for organizations across China, Japan, Europe and the Americas. Since then, I have been obsessed with the study of well-being, eventually publishing my research in my book, The Happiness Reboot, releasing March 31.

When I returned to Atlanta from New York five years ago, I came back in search of a better quality of life, proximity to family, and, ultimately, a path to being happier. I am already realizing that Atlanta was more than just a personal choice; it offers compelling insights the rest of the nation could learn from. Yet, there’s room for improvement.

Researchers of “fulfillment” — a higher-order happiness akin to Maslow’s self-actualization — point to purpose, belonging and growth as the prerequisites for true well-being. This version of happiness, fashioned after Viktor Frankl’s foundational research, is harder to measure than GDP. But those of us who call Atlanta home instinctively know that the city’s cultural legacy promotes these values in subtle, vital ways.

Let’s start with purpose. Atlanta, “the city too busy to hate,” once aspired to move past a violent racist past in favor of a collective new purpose: growth. When other parts of the South resisted social progress, the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement became a place where change happened faster. This “flywheel effect” brought talent and business to the city, from Sweet Auburn to Buckhead. Today, our vibrant industry clusters — transportation, technology, and talent (entertainment) — continue to draw people globally. According to the Atlanta Regional Commission, metro Atlanta is projected to reach 7.9 million people by 2050. People are coming here because there is an opportunity for inclusive growth — and purpose.

Next is belonging and connection. Atlanta is home to 57 colleges and universities, nearly 8,800 faith-based organizations, and thousands of authentic spaces for connection. I live in the Old Fourth Ward. I went to elementary school there, lived in the Fulton Cotton Mill Lofts after college, and served on the board of the Historic District Development Corporation. I’ve been in this neighborhood, where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was born, since I was a kid. It is my “belonging.”

But I’m not unique in that pride. I love seeing Inman Park flags draped from residents’ porch steps; I attend the neighborhood festivals we celebrate religiously from Grant Park and Ansley to Midtown and the “SWATS” (Southwest Atlanta), where I attended high school. In recent decades, the city has made significant investments to connect these disparate communities through the Beltline. Having served on the real estate development team for Atlantic Station, I’ve seen how the intentional repurposing of spaces — like Ponce City Market, Lee + White and the Fourth Ward Project — creates genuine opportunities to live, work and play together.

The final ingredient is growth. Being stretched and challenged is how we refine our purpose. Atlanta is not without its flaws. WalletHub recently ranked Atlanta 76th nationally out of 182 cities for happiness, due largely to scores in affordability, wealth disparity and traffic. These are the byproducts of rampant growth.

However, Atlanta has a history of leaning into its challenges. We led the nation in civil rights when it was difficult and unpopular. We must, and will, lead again on issues of infrastructure and safety. Viktor Frankl’s research proves that hardship is often a necessary component of the happiness calculus. Our challenges are merely opportunities to refine our resolve.

There are also a few other practical things Atlantans can do to secure our city’s place on the Olympic podium of future happiness. First, take advantage of our incredible public spaces like the Beltline or the Atlanta Jazz Festival to step out of your comfort zone and make a new connection. Chances are, you’ll see me out there!

Second, encourage our youth to look beyond academic success and boldly discover their life’s purpose. Atlanta is a city for dreamers and nurturing that courage in our kids is how we secure our future.

So, while Helsinki may be the happiest city in the world, the rest of the world can learn a lot from the “A.” I, for one, am happier and proud to call Atlanta home.

In the words of our native son and creative genius, André 3000: “The South got something to say.”