Artist illustrates good news stories from 2021 to highlight the positives of this year

In this day and age where we're connected to the internet on our smartphones almost every waking minute, we're constantly bombarded with information from around the world. And such is the nature of the cyber world—and real life, come to think of it—that netizens make the most noise about the negatives out there and rarely save more than a customary glance for the positives. This overload of information that makes one lost faith in humanity takes a significant toll on our collective mental health, leaving us trapped in a constant state of hopelessness. This is what illustrator Mauro Gatti hoped to remedy when he launched The Happy Broadcast.

By illustrating and sharing fact-checked "anxiety-free news," Gatti shines a light on the positive stories that are often overshadowed by the negative ones. Throughout 2021, The Happy Broadcast has shared several good things that happened this year, from encouraging news about mitigating climate change to growing efforts to break the stigma around mental health. However, there's one that stands out to Gatti. "There's an organization in Finland called Aktivistimummot, meaning 'activist grannies,'" he told My Modern Met. "It's a group pushing for environmental change that delivers a lot of information about climate change. Their aim is simple: to ensure their grandchildren have a safe and sustainable future."

Gatti explained that he likes this story because of what it represents. "It's a great example of how we can all come together, despite our age difference, for the greater good of a sustainable and fulfilling life for everyone," he said. Gatti is now taking his work to another level through a new app called Whole, which he says is the "next incarnation of The Happy Broadcast," and a personal guide to being a happier person. "I have learned from our users that there are many different activities people do to boost their happiness. Whether it is reading positive news we post, expressing gratitude or kindness, going for a walk, doing a meditation, or one of the over 100 science-backed activities that evidence shows can boost a person's happiness," he said.

"The app is a sort of My Fitness Pal for mental health in that it helps users build positive habits by reminding them to do these things and encouraging and tracking completion to keep the momentum going on their journey towards a happier life," Gatti explained. "We launched the app last month and already have over 10k people using it to build happier habits into their daily routine and our hope is that all 1 million+ of our followers will give it a try. Habits control almost 50% of what we do on a daily basis, so building habits geared towards happiness will dramatically improve people's everyday lives."

Here's a look at 25 positive news headlines shared by The Happy Broadcast this year:

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