Aiming to enrich the lives of 5.5 million youth in the United States by 2021, LG Electronics USA is launching a unique new corporate social responsibility initiative called “Life’s Good: Experience Happiness.” The science-based platform is designed to engage non-profit partners who help equip American youth with the skills for sustainable happiness.
Experts define happiness in a number of ways, including the ability to consistently recognize that life’s good – even if it’s hard sometimes.[1] Seventy years of research shows happy people are healthier, live longer, and do better in school and life. Yet, in the United States today, two out of three youth are stressed. [2]
Happiness skills can be learned, according to the Greater Good Science Center at University of California Berkeley, which has identified six skills that sustain one’s ability to recognize that life’s good: mindfulness, human connection, positive outlook, purpose, generosity and gratitude.
“LG is a consumer-first organization, and we have an obligation to give back to society,” said William Cho, president and CEO, LG Electronics North America. “We developed the Experience Happiness platform by studying the meaning of our brand to consumers and employees. The result is a unique new CSR approach for LG that will allow us to help further the science of happiness and work with our grant partners to deliver proven skills for sustainable happiness to America’s young people.”
When school is in session, kids are the most stressed group in the country.[3] “That’s why LG’s Experience Happiness program is working with partners to bring scientific insights and tools for sustainable happiness to America’s youth, to help make life good for generations to come,” Cho explained.
To support research and programs designed to advance the science of happiness and increase awareness that happiness is a learnable skill set, LG has partnered with the Greater Good Science Center (GGSC). “LG’s commitment to supporting the study of the science of happiness will help us increase awareness that happiness and emotional well-being are achievable,” said GGSC Founder and Director Dacher Keltner, Ph.D.
A primary focus of the new Life’s Good: Experience Happiness platform is driving positive change in lives across America with the goal of equipping 5.5 million youth with happiness skills by 2021. For the platform launch, LG has partnered with Inner Explorer. This leading organization brings science and mindfulness-based social emotional learning curriculum to U.S. schools.
According to Inner Explorer Co-founder Laura S. Bakosh, Ph.D., mindfulness teaches how to live in the present moment, and it promotes “readiness to learn,” which is a bigger predictor of academic success than IQ. Bringing mindfulness into schools results in more focused classrooms, with fewer classroom disruptions. This gives teachers more time to teach while equipping children with a positive growth mindset and better relationship skills.
“LG shares Inner Explorer’s mission to bring learnable happiness skills to classrooms across the country,” said Bakosh. “LG is demonstrating cutting-edge leadership in this space, and our partnership changes the landscape for Inner Explorer as we help kids, teachers and parents be their best selves both in the arena of academic achievement and as world citizens.”
LG will continue to grow the Life’s Good Experience Happiness platform with a focus on increasing the number of youth impacted each year. LG also plans to launch a website dedicated to highlighting the work of its partner organizations, the results of this work and increasing awareness that happiness skills are a learnable skill set for youth and adults alike.
About the Greater Good Science Center
The Greater Good Science Center (GGSC) at the University of California, Berkeley, is at the forefront of the scientific movement to explore the roots of happiness, compassion, strong social bonds, and altruistic behavior. Called by The New York Times “the epicenter for research on happiness and gratitude,” the GGSC sponsors groundbreaking research and helps people apply this research to their personal and professional lives. https://ggsc.berkeley.edu
About Inner Explorer™
Inner Explorer was developed in 2011 by mindful awareness teachers with nearly 30 years of combined experience. Understanding the difficulty in developing daily practice, Inner Explorer created an audio-based web platform helping teachers and students practice simply and efficiently, as well as providing the opportunity to learn together. The unprecedented online platform is now also available for families at no additional cost. Inner Explorer is a non-profit organization working toward the goal of “TEN Million Mindful Children” – and ultimately – helping to improve education and student outcomes for generations to come. www.InnerExplorer.org
About LG Electronics USA
LG Electronics USA Inc., based in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., is the North American subsidiary of LG Electronics, Inc., a $48 billion global force and technology leader in consumer electronics, home appliances and mobile communications. LG Electronics sells a range of stylish and innovative home entertainment products, mobile phones, home appliances, commercial displays, air conditioning systems and solar energy solutions in the United States, all under LG’s “Life’s Good” marketing theme. www.lg.com.
[1] https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/happiness/definition
[2]http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2014/02/teen-stress.aspx
[3]http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2014/02/teen-stress.aspx
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Published Nov 30, 2017 12pm EST / 9am PST / 5pm GMT / 6pm CET