Bored Panda wanted to get to grips with the difference between happiness and feeling content. Here's what writer Ariane, the author of 'The How of Happy,' said.

"For me, it's about feeling glad to wake up in the morning, looking forward to the day ahead and being grateful to be alive," she said.

"I think contentment is perhaps a quieter sort of happiness, closer to peace. And happiness perhaps involves a bit more excitement. But both are great!"

According to the comedy writer, two ways that we can all spread some happiness and cheer in our local areas include sending out holiday cards and volunteering.

"I've sent my neighbors Christmas cards this year, with nice things written in them about my hopes for their coming year. They haven't sent any back yet, but giving in the expectation of receiving doesn't make you as happy!" she said that gift-giving and charity are their own rewards. We should give freely and expect nothing back.

"Christmas is also a good time to volunteer for homeless charities as they need our help to care for people and help them off the streets," she stressed that this is the perfect time to have a big positive impact on your neighborhood and help the people there.

The author of 'The How of Happy' also pointed out that people tend to be more generous and kinder the less they have. We feel empathy for folks who are in similar situations or are down on their luck like we've been before.

"I've found that people who are going through hard times—or who have been through them—tend to be more compassionate and empathetic. For instance, when I used to busk on the underground here in London, playing guitar and singing for money, it was never the white businessmen in smart suits who would throw money into my guitar case. It was always women with young children, and students, and ethnic minorities, and the elderly," she shared a snippet from her life experience. "People who knew what it was like not to have much money, but who were generous anyway."

To say that the ‘Wholesome Memes’ social media project is well-known would be an understatement. It has enjoyed massive success since creating its Twitter account in August 2016.

According to the founders of the page, they spread internet memes and images that “promote health or well-being of body, mind, and/or soul.” In other words, they try to give everyone a little boost in a bunch of small ways.

In the 6+ years since being created, the account has amassed a jaw-dropping 2.9 million followers. And the popularity train isn’t stopping any time soon. In March 2021, they had 1.3 million fans. That already impressive number has more than doubled between then and now.

The project puts all of the attention that it gets to good use. ‘Wholesome Memes’ sells products for charity. They split the profit between the artist, the artist’s chosen charity, and the cost of operating the online store. Most of the money ends up being donated to charity.

The founders’ wholesomeness and sense of social responsibility extends to the way they operate their business as well.

“All our clothing manufacturers declare their products have no involvement in sweatshops, child and forced labor, that is why our clothing lines focus on premium American Apparel and Bella Canvas brands. These brands are not the cheapest but ensure a fair wage at both the manufacturing and distribution level.” In other words, they practice what they preach. It’s all wholesomeness, all the time.

Wholesomeness is intrinsically linked to kindness, altruism, and setting your own needs aside to lend someone else a helping hand. It’s all about showing how much heart people have. And it’s a wonderful reminder of how utterly awesome people are.

Let’s face it, many of us need constant reminders about that, considering how many awful things happen around the world and just how negative the news generally is. Life, however, isn’t just black and white. There’s laughter and beauty and hope even in the darkest times… and there’s evil and selfishness even on the brightest of days.

Some time ago, Bored Panda interviewed Suzanne Degges-White, Ph.D., about altruism and the instinct to help other individuals. “Many of us are raised to believe it is the 'right thing to do.' Basically, all spiritual belief systems have a version of the 'Golden Rule, 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,'” the Licensed Counselor, Professor, and Chair at the Department of Counseling and Higher Education at Northern Illinois University told us.

"We also do good turns because we know that one day we may be in need of a little 'generosity from the universe,' so it's like putting 'money' into a karma account," the expert pointed out some of the reasons why we’re kind to others.

"Humans are wired so that when we do something kind for another, we feel good about ourselves and neurotransmitters like endorphins and oxytocin have been shown to get a boost when we do something good for another,” the professor noted.

“It is through cooperation that society functions, so the survival of the human race depends on being willing to help others. Family values, spiritual beliefs, and biology all play a part in this motivation," the professor told Bored Panda.

"Many of us take pride in being of service to others as it is culturally valued and we want to hold significance in our worlds. So when we do good deeds, we show others our willingness to help those in distress/need; we live out faith-based encouragement to treat others the way we would like to be treated, we uphold family values, and our brains get a positive jolt of happiness when we help others," she said.