Feeling overwhelmed and stressed out?
Between work, family, and social obligations, there never seems to be a moment where you can just take a breath and relax. But what if there were an app that could help you find time for yourself during even the busiest of days?
What Are Happiness Apps?
That’s where a happiness app comes in. Happiness apps are designed to help you find time for yourself every day to focus on your well-being and good health. By taking a few minutes each day to check in with yourself and do something that makes you happy, you can create a more balanced and satisfying life.
Science-based happiness apps use positive psychology principles to help users find happiness, reduce stress and anxiety, build resilience, and develop better habits. They work to improve your emotional life, social life, and physical health.
While different happiness apps vary in their approach, most of them share a few common features:
- They provide tips and articles on happiness.
- They have positive reinforcement features, like badges and rewards.
- They allow you to track your happiness levels over time.
So, if you’re looking for a happiness app to help you on your happiness journey through 2023, read on for 10 of the best.
What Are The Best Happiness Apps For 2023?
Here is our list of the best happiness apps that can fit seamlessly into your busy life.
Action for Happiness: Get Tips
Key Benefits
- Get inspired with daily reminders of simple actions you can do to improve your happiness.
- Follow monthly themes based on the latest scientific research about happiness.
- Share your own words, actions and ideas with others in the community to spread kindness.
Details
- App Store Rating: 4.9/5.0
- Price: Free
- Available: App Store and Google Play
Bottom Line
Action for Happiness is an admirable organization with a free happiness app that you can use for inspiration each day to help build a happier and kinder world.
I am – Daily Affirmations
I am – Daily Affirmations provides users with daily affirmations to help them focus on their well-being and develop a positive attitude. With topics ranging from self-care to positive thinking, the app has something for everyone. And if you need a quick pick-me-up, you can set the app to provide affirmations every few seconds for one minute.
Key Benefits
- Choose how long you want to receive affirmations. Whether you need a quick boost (1 minute) or a longer session (5 or 15 minutes), this app has you covered.
- Tailor your affirmation experience to fit your needs with the app’s wide range of topics.
- Get the most out of your affirmations by displaying the affirmations on your home screen with widgets.
Details
- App Store Rating: 4.9/5.0
- Price: A subscription to I am Premium is free for 1 week then $14.99/year
- Available: App Store and Google Play
Bottom Line
I Am – Daily Affirmations is a great happiness app for those who need a little extra motivation with positive affirmations. With its customizable features and wide range of topics, the app is perfect for anyone looking to improve their well-being in short bursts of time.
Wysa: Mental Health Support
Wysa is an AI-powered chatbot that enables users to talk through their thoughts, feelings and experiences in a safe space. Users can also access tools such as relaxation exercises, mindfulness meditation and visualization to help them feel calmer, sleep better and manage their emotions.
Key Benefits
- Have anonymous, privacy-protected conversations with an empathetic chatbot.
- Participate in research-backed techniques such as cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavioral therapy to help manage depression, stress, anxiety and other mental health concerns.
- Connect with the Health app for activity reports.
- Can chat with a mental health professional when you need more support.
Details
- App Store Rating: 4.9/5.0
- Price: A subscription to Wysa Premium costs $11.99/month or $74.99/year or to Wysa Premium Plus (with access to a well-being coach) costs $79.99/month
- Available: App Store and Google Play
Bottom Line
Wysa is an AI-powered chatbot that is private and secure and helps you stay on top of your mental health and wellness needs. If you need more support, you can easily connect with a mental health professional. If you’re looking for a safe space to talk about your feelings, Wysa is a great choice.
Calm: Sleep, Meditation, Relaxation
If you’re looking for an app that can help you to relax, focus, and sleep better, Calm may be perfect for you. With guided meditations in different lengths, master classes from world-renowned experts, sleep stories, and music designed to help you de-stress and get some shut-eye, there’s something for everyone on Calm.
Key Benefits
- Learn from experts.
- Improve your sleep quality with tailored recommendations.
- Stay motivated with progress tracking and see how meditation makes a difference in your life.
Details
- App Store Rating: 4.8/5.0
- Price: A subscription to Calm Premium is free for 1 week then $69.99/year
- Available: App Store and Google Play
Bottom Line
Calm is one of the best happiness apps on the market, perfect for those looking to improve their sleep quality and manage stress levels. With a wide range of content and a 7-day free trial, it’s definitely worth checking out!
Headspace: Mindful Meditation
Headspace is one of the most popular happiness apps on the market. It offers guided meditations and breathing exercises to help you relax, cope with stress, and focus your energy. You can choose from hundreds of meditations on various topics, learn mindfulness skills from world-class experts, meditate with friends, and build your practice your way.
Key Benefits
- Learn how to meditate, manage stress, and live a more mindful life in the present moment.
- Choose from an extensive library of guided meditations, some as short as 3 minutes, on a wide range of topics.
- Customize your meditation experience to fit your needs and schedule.
Details
- App Store Rating: 4.8/5.0
- Price: A subscription to Headspace costs $12.99/month or $69.99/year
- Available: App Store and Google Play
Bottom Line
Headspace can help you bring balance to your everyday life with mindfulness and meditation. With just a few minutes of practice each day, you can learn how to manage stress, stay focused, and live in the present.
Mindshine: Mental Health Coach
Need help managing your time, emotions, and productivity? That’s where Mindshine comes in with over 200 sessions designed to help you achieve your personal goals.
With Mindshine, you’ll be able to dig deep and find out what truly motivates and drives you. You’ll also learn how to become your own biggest ally through positive self-talking, visualization, and journaling. Most importantly, you’ll experience reduced stress and a newfound sense of calmness and control in your life.
Key Benefits
- Achieve your personal goals with over 200 effective coaching sessions that range from 5 to 15 minutes.
- Develop self-confidence, motivation, self-love, emotional intelligence, and resilience to stress.
- Reduce stress and improve productivity and concentration.
Details
- App Store Rating: 4.7/5.0
- Price: Free to download and use; for full access, a subscription to Mindshine costs $12.49/month or $64.99/year
- Available: App Store and Google Play
Bottom Line
Mindshine is a digital mental health coach that can help you achieve your personal goals and reduce stress through short coaching sessions. The app is free to download and use, but a subscription is required for full access. If you’re looking for an affordable and convenient way to improve your mental health, Mindshine is definitely worth considering.
Ten Percent Happier Meditation
Ten Percent Happier Meditation includes guided meditations, videos, talks, and sleep content to help you develop your meditation practice and stick with it. You’ll learn how to meditate in a way that’s fun and straightforward. The app’s more than 500+ guided meditations means that you can always find the meditation you need.
Key Benefits
- Meditate on your own schedule with a library of 500+ guided meditations.
- Fall asleep quickly and easily with the app’s relaxing sleep content.
- Enjoy new content every week and keep your meditation practice fresh.
- Listen to short mindfulness stories when you need some quick inspiration.
Details
- App Store Rating: 4.8/5.0
- Price: A subscription to Ten Percent Happier Meditation is free for 1 week then $9.99/month or $99.99/year
- Available: App Store and Google Play
Bottom Line
Ten Percent Happier Meditation is a great meditation app for beginners and experienced meditators alike. The app’s wide range of content that’s continuously updated will keep your meditation practice fresh and interesting.
Happify: for Stress & Worry
Happify is an app that helps users cultivate happiness through activities and games based on positive psychology research. Happify has one goal: to help you lead a happier life. With science-based games and activities, Happify will help you to train your brain and overcome negative thinking patterns.
Key Benefits
- Choose from over 65 activities (including guided meditations and reflective writing assignments) and games designed by happiness experts.
- Get personalized recommendations based on your happiness goals.
- Track your progress and see how your happiness changes over time.
Details
- App Store Rating: 4.5/5.0
- Price: A subscription to Happify Plus costs $14.99/month or $139.99/year
- Available: App Store and Google Play
Bottom Line
Happify is a great happiness app for those who want to actively work on improving their happiness levels. With science-based activities and games, Happify is a fun and effective way to make lasting changes in your happiness.
DailyBean – simplest journal
DailyBean is an intuitive and easy-to-use, minimalistic diary app that helps users record their daily life and analyze the results on a weekly or monthly basis.
Key Benefits
- Quickly record your mood and activities every day.
- Look at your mood flow through a monthly calendar.
- Customize the categories to suit your needs.
- Add notes and pictures to your records.
Details
- App Store Rating: 4.8/5.0
- Price: A subscription to DailyBean costs $1.99/month or $17.99/year
- Available: App Store and Google Play
Bottom Line
DailyBean is an excellent diary app for those who want to keep track of their daily moods and activities efficiently and intuitively. With customizable categories and colorful icons, DailyBean’s easy-to-use design makes it a great choice for anyone looking for an app that lets them quickly capture their daily life and analyze how it changes over time.
Do Happy: Daily Happier Habits
We know that this is biased addition, but we truly believe that our Do Happy: Daily Happier Habits app is one of the best happiness apps currently available.
Our Do Happy: Daily Happier Habits app is the simple system to become happier using science-backed practices and the power of small wins. The app is designed to help users easily incorporate happiness practices into their daily lives, stay motivated, and make happiness a habit.
Key Benefits
- Focus on important positive things – self-care, relationship maintenance, and acts of kindness – with the Do Happy Task of the Day.
- Use the gratitude journal to curate your favorite photos and happy moments from every day.
- Stay on track and motivated with the accountability calendar.
- Strengthen your personal relationships and gain peace of mind knowing you’ll never forget another special occasion again with the important people organizer.
- Enjoy using the app as your memory book of happiness to reminisce about good times and look back on your happiness journey.
Details
- App Store Rating: 5.0/5.0
- Price: A subscription to Do Happy: Daily Happier Habits is free for 1 week then $4.99/month or $39.99/year
- Available: App Store; we hope to be on Google Play in 2024!
Bottom Line
Do Happy: Daily Happier Habits is a great happiness app for anyone looking for a unique and comprehensive yet simple happiness solution. The app’s focus on small wins and daily happiness practices makes it easy to make happiness a habit.
Final Thoughts
We all know that we should be taking care of our mental health, but it’s hard to find the time and energy to do so. Happiness apps are designed to utilize pockets of time during your day to help you focus on your well-being and create a more balanced and satisfying life. They help build happiness-boosting skills and resilience, encourage personal growth, and significantly enhance well-being.
The 10 happiness apps on this list are all great options for you to consider if you’re looking for a little help on your journey to becoming happier and more fulfilled. While some of the happiness apps require a paid subscription, many include free versions or trials so you can try them out before committing.
All of the apps on our list have already served as positive interventions in the lives of so many people, and they can help you too. The only app that’s truly right for you is the one that aligns with your goals, preferences, and lifestyle. So, take some time to explore these 10 best happiness apps. We hope you find an app (or combination of apps) that works for you and helps you lead a happier life.
FAQ
What is a Happiness Check-In?
A happiness check-in is a quick way to measure your current level of happiness. It can be used to track your progress over time, or simply to give you a snapshot of how you’re feeling in the moment. Essentially what you do is rate your current level of happiness on a scale from 1 to 10.
If you’re not sure how to rate your happiness, think about the last week or so. How many good things have happened, compared to bad things? If you’re feeling mostly good, with a few bad moments here and there, you might rate yourself as an 8 or a 9. If you’re feeling like everything is going wrong and you can’t seem to catch a break, you might rate yourself as a 3 or a 4.
Once you’ve rated your happiness, take a moment to think about why you’re feeling that way. If you’re happy, what are the things that are making you happy? If you’re not happy, what are the things that are making you unhappy?
Becoming more aware of your emotions (both your happy emotions and negative ones) is the first step to improving your overall happiness. If it turns out that you’re not feeling that happy, you can consider using a happiness app to help you boost your mood.
Should You Use a Happiness App to Manage Your Happiness?
There’s no simple answer to this question. Some people may find that happiness apps are helpful in managing their mental health and well-being, while others may prefer to use other methods. Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide what works best for you.
Happiness apps can be incredibly helpful in several ways. First, they can help you to become more aware of your emotions. If you’re not used to paying attention to your feelings, an app can be a great way to get started.
Second, happiness apps can provide you with valuable insights into your own happiness. By tracking your mood over time, you may be able to identify patterns and trends that you wouldn’t have noticed otherwise.
Finally, happiness apps can help you to set and achieve goals. If you’re struggling to make positive changes in your life, an app can give you the motivation and support you need to stay on track.
If you do decide to use an app to manage your happiness, it’s important to choose one that’s right for you. There are a lot of different happiness apps on the market, so take some time to read through reviews and compare features before you make your decision.
Can You Substitute a Mental Health Professional with a Happiness App?
Happiness apps are not meant to be substitutes for mental health professionals. Rather, they are best used as supplements to professional care. If you are struggling with negative thoughts, depressive symptoms, or mental health issues, it’s important to seek professional help.
That being said, happiness apps can help improve your mental state and well-being. If you’re feeling down, they can provide you with quick wins and easy tools for building happiness. And if you’re struggling to make positive changes in your life, they can help you to set and achieve goals.
What is the Best Happiness App?
There is no single “best” happiness app. Different people will find different aspects of different apps to be helpful, depending on their needs and preferences. It’s important to experiment with different apps to see what works best for you. We’ve provided 10 great options for you to try and hope that one (or more!) of them is a good fit for you.
