I just enrolled in Yale University’s “The Science of Well-Being”. 
Here’s an article about it on CNBC.

Our vision at SecretPenguin is to make communities better (and more fun).
In doing that, we’ve been diving deep into what really makes communities better and what makes people happier.

I started reading anything I could about how to be happy… not like ignorant happy, but on why people are truly grateful and enjoy life.
(It’s part of the reason we restructured our priorities at work)

When speaking about happiness, it’s so easy to come across as condescending, dismissive, or disrespectful. 

It’s been interesting to help guide brands to speak to people and truly engage in their lives on an emotional level, and help others feel supported and empowered.



Here’s a small sampling of a few of the things we’ve been digging into the past few years about happiness:

• TIME Magazine’s, The Science of Happiness 
• Articles on ScienceOfPeople.com
• Researching Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs 
The Elements of Value from Harvard Business Review 
• Reports from The Happiness Research Institute
The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living by the CEO of The Happiness Research Institute
• And now – this course from Yale, “The Science of Well-Being” 



OUR EXPERIENCE FRAMEWORK
Based on insights, we have mapped out a framework on how a person can best experience a brand and the feelings associated within each step.

There are 8 steps within a brand experience, and we categorize them within:
Before | During | After

That’s about all we can share, unless you’re a client or have caught one of our presentations ;)



We believe designing an experience comes with a responsibility where it impacts both the customers and the people behind the brand to ultimately find what makes them happy.

If we’re going to ask people to spend their valuable time or money with a brand – it better be worth it to all involved.

The cool part is seeing real people connect with each other (people behind the brands + people who are customers). 

When there’s that genuine connection in supporting others’ well-being and happiness, there’s more loyalty.
And I’m talking loyalty on both sides – not just customers returning, but companies working harder to make sure they provide valuable services or products to the ones they care about.

It’s a win-win in a world that can sometimes feel one-sided.

-Dave Nelson