A lot has happened over the last five years. Our latest study, The Next Normal: Rise of Resilience, took the pulse of people’s attitudes and outlooks on life in 30 countries and compared the results to five years ago. This project found that people feel increasingly less safe – yet they continue to feel much more happy than stressed. The source of that happiness is a growing reserve of resilience. In the face of uncertainty, people are finding ways to cope.

Spending time with loved ones, listening to music, getting some sleep, watching TV, and exercising are the main ways people around the world deal with stress.

Music is particularly important – 79% of global respondents said it inspires them and 56% reported that they love to dance alone in their rooms. Laughter is another essential tool for getting by today – 66% said they use humor to achieve things in life, up from 58% five years ago.

The end result? People feel more and more equipped to handle what life throws their way. Three-quarters (75%) said they feel empowered in 2017, compared with 68% in 2012.