# 100 Happy Days Challenge > 100 Happy Days Challenge is a 2013 social media campaign by Dmitry Golubnichy where participants photograph daily moments of happiness for 100 consecutive days, famous for its 71% failure rate. The 100 Happy Days Challenge is a social media experiment that dares participants to photograph one thing that makes them happy every single day for 100 consecutive days and share it online. Launched on December 30, 2013 by Zurich-based Dmitry Golubnichy, the challenge spread rapidly across Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook in early 2014, racking up over 9.2 million Instagram posts within five months[3]. Its most quoted stat: 71% of participants who signed up failed to finish, most claiming they didn't have time to be happy[5]. ## Origin Dmitry Golubnichy, a 27-year-old living in Zurich, launched the 100 Happy Days project and its accompanying website on December 30, 2013[3]. Golubnichy started the project after realizing he needed to actively remember what made him happy[5]. The website framed the challenge around a pointed question: in a world where packed schedules are something to brag about, do you actually have time to be happy? The concept had a loose predecessor. In 2004, American web developer George Taylor McKnight began taking a personal photo every day as a self-improvement exercise and photography practice, an effort that became known as the Photo-A-Day Project[3]. Golubnichy's version added the social media sharing component and the specific happiness framing that made it go viral. - **Platform:** 100happydays.com (project website), Instagram / Twitter / Facebook (viral spread) - **Creator:** Dmitry Golubnichy (founder) - **Date:** 2013 ## Overview The 100 Happy Days Challenge is straightforward: sign up on the project's website, then post one photo per day of something that made you happy. You pick your platform (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook) and tag it #100HappyDays. The challenge explicitly isn't a competition or a bragging exercise. The official site warns that if you're trying to make others jealous with your photos, "you lose without even starting"[5]. Participants could also create a private hashtag known only to the organizers, or simply email their photos directly[9]. After completing all 100 days, the site offered to print participants' collected photos into a physical book[10]. The whole thing was pitched as a personal mindfulness exercise wrapped in a social media format, designed to train your brain to notice small daily joys rather than chase big Instagram-worthy moments. ## How It Spread The challenge picked up speed almost immediately after launch. On January 3, 2014, BuzzFeed published "39 Reasons To Be Happy Every Day For 100 Days," a roundup of #100happydays Instagram photos and tweets that pulled in over 130,000 views[1]. The article introduced the challenge to a mainstream audience who might not have found the original website on their own. Not everyone was sold. On January 31, 2014, a LinkedIn post titled "#100happydays: why I stopped at Day 10" pushed back against the concept[7]. Thought Catalog followed on March 31 with "6 Reasons Why I Think #100HappyDays Is A Waste Of Time," arguing that real happiness is too fleeting and personal to capture in a photograph[6]. The author wrote that "90% of my happiness can't really be captured in a photo" and that the challenge turned him into a "happiness gold-digger"[6]. Celebrities jumped in too. Actress Emmy Rossum started her challenge on March 7, 2014, posting daily happiness photos to her followers[3]. On April 10, 2014, The Huffington Post UK ran a longer analysis piece weighing whether the challenge was genuinely empowering or just another social media trend, drawing parallels to positive psychology research and the concept of the Reticular Activating System[2]. The Daily Mail covered the challenge on April 21, 2014, noting the 71% failure rate and emphasizing that organizers specifically discouraged using the challenge to "parade your perfect, luxurious life"[9]. USA Today ran a piece focused on college students using the challenge during transitional moments like graduation, with psychology professor Sonja Lyubomirsky offering a nuanced take: while photographing happy moments can increase mindfulness, "consciously trying to increase happiness can backfire because you may notice you're not happy enough"[8]. By May 2014, the hashtag #100happydays had been used on Instagram over 9.2 million times, and 350,000 people worldwide were actively participating[2]. The challenge spread to the Philippines, India, and across Europe, with coverage from outlets like Rappler framing it as a way to fight the "gnawing feeling" of daily routine[13]. ## How to Use 1. Visit 100happydays.com and register for the challenge 2. Choose your platform: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or email-only 3. Every day for 100 consecutive days, take a photo of something that made you happy 4. Post it with the hashtag #100HappyDays (or create a private hashtag and share it with the organizers) 5. Photos typically capture everyday moments: a good meal, time with friends, a pet, a sunset, a nap[1] 6. After completing all 100 days, request a printed book of your collected photos from the website[10] ## Cultural Impact The 100 Happy Days Challenge arrived at a specific moment in social media culture. In early 2014, Instagram was still relatively young and hashtag-driven challenges were becoming a major way content spread across platforms. The challenge predated the Ice Bucket Challenge (summer 2014) and helped establish the template for sustained social media participation campaigns[4]. The project drew attention from psychology researchers. Sonja Lyubomirsky, a happiness researcher at UC Riverside, told USA Today that photographing happy moments can increase "savoring," or the practice of being mindful and present. But she cautioned against treating happiness as a measurable goal: "Don't focus on 'I'm doing this to make me happy...am I happy yet?' Focus on the project, not the outcome"[8]. Media coverage was extensive, with pieces in BuzzFeed, The Huffington Post, USA Today, the Daily Mail, Rappler, and various LinkedIn and personal blogs[1][2][8][9][13]. The challenge was notable for generating nearly equal amounts of positive coverage and thoughtful criticism, with the backlash pieces often being more interesting than the supportive ones. ## Fun Facts - The challenge's official website let you submit photos via three methods: public hashtag, secret personal hashtag, or direct email. The secret hashtag option meant you could participate on social media without anyone knowing why you were posting[9]. - Participants who completed all 100 days could receive an official certificate and a printed photo book of their collected happy moments[5]. - The challenge predates the Ice Bucket Challenge by about seven months, making it one of the first major sustained social media challenges of the 2014 era[4]. - Psychology professor Sonja Lyubomirsky warned that the challenge could actually backfire, making some participants feel worse by highlighting gaps between their expected and actual happiness levels[8]. - One blogger who completed the challenge admitted to forgetting only twice in 100 days and simply extended the challenge by two extra days to compensate[11]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is the 100 Happy Days Challenge? A social media challenge where participants photograph one thing that makes them happy each day for 100 consecutive days and share it online using the hashtag #100HappyDays[5]. ### Where did the 100 Happy Days Challenge come from? It was created by Dmitry Golubnichy, a 27-year-old Zurich resident, who launched the project and website on December 30, 2013[3]. ### What does the 100 Happy Days Challenge mean? The challenge is designed to train participants to notice and appreciate small moments of daily happiness, based on the idea that actively looking for positive moments makes you more aware of them over time[2]. ### How do you use the 100 Happy Days Challenge? Sign up on 100happydays.com, choose your social media platform, then post one photo per day tagged #100HappyDays for 100 days straight. You can also participate privately via email[9]. ### Is the 100 Happy Days Challenge still popular? The challenge peaked in early-to-mid 2014, when it accumulated over 9.2 million Instagram posts. Activity dropped off significantly after 2014, though the website stayed online and individual participants occasionally took on the challenge in later years[3][10]. ### What percentage of people fail the 100 Happy Days Challenge? According to the project's official website, 71% of participants who signed up failed to complete all 100 days, with most citing a lack of time as their reason for quitting[5]. ### Why did people criticize the 100 Happy Days Challenge? Critics argued that genuine happiness can't be captured in a photo, that the challenge encouraged performative rather than authentic joy, and that it could make some people feel worse by highlighting their unhappiness[6][8]. ### Did any celebrities do the 100 Happy Days Challenge? Yes. Actress Emmy Rossum started her challenge on March 7, 2014, posting daily happiness photos to her social media followers[3]. ### Can you do the 100 Happy Days Challenge privately? Yes. The challenge offered three privacy levels: public posting with #100HappyDays, posting with a secret personal hashtag, or emailing photos directly to the organizers[9]. ### What happens when you finish the 100 Happy Days Challenge? Completers could visit the website to receive an official certificate and have their 100 photos printed into a physical book[5]. ## References 1. [39 Reasons To Be Happy Every Day For 100 Days]() 2. [Instagram Hashtags]() 3. [100 Happy Days Challenge: Empowering or a Waste of Time? | HuffPost UK Life]() 4. [100 Happy Days Challenge - Know Your Meme]() 5. [List of Internet challenges]() 6. [HOME - 100happydays challenge]() 7. [6 Reasons Why I Think #100HappyDays Is A Waste Of Time – Thought.is]() 8. [Top Content on LinkedIn]() 9. [students-celebrate-joy-with-100happydays-challenge]() 10. [100 Happy Days Challenge has social media users posting shots of daily delights | Daily Mail Online]() 11. [What I Learned from Doing the 100 Happy Days Challenge]() 12. [The 100 Happy Days Challenge: A Simple Experiment For More Happiness]() 13. [I did the 100 Happy Days Challenge and here's what happened]() 14. [100 Happy Days challenge | You can imagine where it goes from here.]() 15. [Viral happiness: The #100HappyDays challenge]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/100-happy-days-challenge Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library