SOHP History
The Secret Society of Happy People was formed in August 1998 to encourage the expression happiness and discourage parade raining. (Parade-rainers are those people who don't want to hear your happy news).
Somewhere between The Ed Sullivan Show and The Jerry Springer Show talking about being happy became politically incorrect. We're more comfortable airing our dirty laundry than telling people we've had a happy moment.
The Society believes happiness is contagious and that when more people talk about happy events and moment, it will be chic for everyone to do it.
The Society gained international recognition in December 1998 when it challenged Ann Landers for discouraging people from writing happy holiday newsletter to enclose with their holiday cards.
Since then the Society has:
The Society has been featured in
People Magazine
and
Newsweek,
and has been included in stories in
Reader's Digest,
Prevention,
Ladies Home Journal,
Harpers,
Yoga Journal,
SELF,
Redbook,
Glamour, and
New Age Journal. Founder
Pamela Gail Johnson was on
Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher.
Hundreds of print and broadcast
outlets throughout the world have
covered the Society, including
CNN,
The Associated
Press,
USA Today,
Good Morning America
(ABC),
The Wall Street
Journal,
The
Washington Post,
The Dallas Morning News,
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
and
Los Angeles Times.
Parade named
the Happiest Events, Inventions and
Social Changes of the Century as the
'Best List of the Century.'
A few
websites that have linked to the Society
include:
Beliefnet.com,
Good Housekeeping,
DailyInBox.com, and
USA Today.com Hot Site.
The Society has been included in
Think You're the Only One?,
365 Health and Happiness Boosters,
Voices of Truth,
Every Day's a Holiday Calendar,
Chase's Calendar of Events,
and
Trivial Pursuit's 1990's
Edition includes a question
about Admit You're Happy Day.
Society Founder, Pamela Gail Johnson,
been an
InspireMeToday.com
Luminary in 2009 and 2010.
The
Secret Society of Happy People is possible because of the following not-so-secretly-happy people:
Founder - Pamela Gail Johnson
Logo Designer - David C. Perry
Webmasters - Bob Wieland, Terry Pope, Garry Schwartz, Brian Hammer, Andre Friedman,
Lars D. H. Hedbor
Original Website Design - Bryce Berkowski from
Professional Web Solutions - A
Dallas website design and
seo company.
