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Saturday, September 5, 2015

Filipinos are Generally Happy. Are you of one of them?

According to a Gallup poll in March 2015, Filipinos ranked 5th among the happiest citizens of the world. Do you agree with this? Are you happy with your life? How do you feel about your future? Are you family members hopeful or gloomy? 



These are the questions that I have on my mind when I read the report. Do you still feel the positivity despite all of the problems and adversaries you may have. 

Well, if you can't answer the question or still undecided about your current situation. Then, I have good news for you. With the Brighter Life Index: Social Sentiment or BLISS, Sun Life will show how optimism, prosperity, and the bayanihan spirit can produce a positive ripple from ourselves to our loved ones and to the community where we live.  

We do not have to dwell on our current situation but rather our Filipino community can help us maintain and share the "blissful" attitude to everyone and be part of this positive change in our respective communities and spreading the happiness starting with the use of social media. 

BLISS is a Facebook application that aims to get the pulse of Filipinos about their current financial situation as well as their outlook for the future. “BLISS gives us the canvas to paint our #LiveFreePH campaign. 

Through everyone's participation, we can seek the brightest spots while also determining the areas that are in need of a bit more sunshine,” explained Sun Life of Canada (Philippines), Inc. Chief Marketing Officer Mylene Lopa. “Together with the Sun Life Foundation, we will help turn dim prospects to bright opportunities.”

How does this work? 

Through crowdsourcing, BLISS gathers insights directly from consumers by asking Filipinos about their current state and their outlook for the future. Responses will be collected primarily via Facebook. 

The results will be embodied by a map of the Philippines, where positive sentiments will be represented by sunny weather, while negative ones will be indicated by thunderstorms. This will be updated real time, with different aggregations available for viewing.

Amazing, right? 

This is not just limited to a study but applied in real life too. 

The Sun Life Foundation pledges to match survey responses with a donation to help localities with bleak outlooks, as indicated by the stormy icons in the results map. Inspired by the practice of bayanihan (communal work), the initiative translates insight to action, via the information that will be shared by online users. So, the sunshine will be experienced in real life and not just in the cyber space. 

“Sun Life Foundation believes in action that is powered by insight, and we’re bringing that to the social media platform through BLISS,” said Sun Life Foundation Executive Director Anne Zillah Flores. “We’re taking it further by actually responding to the gaps that will be determined. We will fund projects to help communities with bleak prospects so they can adopt a brighter outlook.”

BLISS to #LiveFreePH

From the present to the future, BLISS narrates the changing story of Filipinos from multiple points of view: self, family, and community. Income, health, and work-life balance are identified as personal concerns; food, nutrition and financial security comprise the familial territory; while access to quality education, healthcare, and livelihood opportunities are the societal factors that impact the nation as a whole. When addressed properly, these concerns can become the building blocks of a nationwide movement towards financial independence.

“From BLISS, we lay down the blueprint of #LiveFreePH – to practice foresight by being conscious of our needs while sharing the benefits of living the brighter life,” Lopa said. “We hope that by working together towards financial freedom, we can create a story of a prosperous and optimistic nation, because in our journey to financial freedom, we can go far if we go together.”

So go ahead and share the BLISS to help communities in need and get the chance to win awesome prizes like an iPad Air. Go to http://bit.ly/1hDBxhn to begin.

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About Sun Life Financial

Celebrating 150 years in 2015, Sun Life Financial is a leading international financial services organization providing a diverse range of protection and wealth products and services to individuals and corporate customers. Sun Life Financial and its partners have operations in a number of markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Bermuda. As of March 31, 2015, the Sun Life Financial group of companies had total assets under management of $813 billion. For more information please visit www.sunlife.com.

6 comments:

  1. This seems to be a good study. I guess happiness is correlated with gratitude and optimism. I used to have a diary and I found myself ranting always. Now, I keep a gratitude journal and I may not be happy everyday but then again I always find something to be thankful about and that makes me happy. This is a good study though

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  2. I've been told that I have a smiling face, that I easily smile. Well, that what the Africans, British and Americans told me while I had a 2 year stay out of the country. They could always guess I'm Asian but when I say I'm from the Philippines they'd say "So that's why you always have a ready smile." We are known to be a happy bunch, mostly since even after the storms we can still give off happy vibes right after. We bounce back pretty fast and just focus on the brighter sde.

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  3. Income, health, and work-life balance are identified as personal concerns; food, nutrition and financial security comprise the familial territory; while access to quality education, healthcare, and livelihood opportunities are the societal factors that impact the nation as a whole. When addressed properly, these concerns can become the building blocks of a nationwide movement towards financial independence.

    --- I wish more and more people will be educated about what we should prioritize in life to gain financial independence. A lot of us still do not know which ones should be on top of our list. Thanks to SunLife for being initiative and educating the Filipino people. We'll only be happy if we're financially capable and when we're in control of our lives.

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  4. This is so true! But me on the contrary i am very busy with a serious professional job in middle east, its stressful. But when i used to work in the Philippines it was very different, However i do not want to go back, the traffic, the smoke, the tax.

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  5. i would consider myself part of the generally happy population. while times may get tough at times, i try to look at the glass half full.

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  6. Yes, I do think Filipinos are a generally happy people. Even when disaster strikes, we know how to move on from it with a smile on our face. I do hope that this optimism can translate to a better life for a lot of filipinos. :)

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