
Going out in your city makes you happier, according to new Australian research
The new research, led by the University of South Australia and Flinders University, surveyed more than 350 South Australians about how often they attended in-person and online events and how this related to their wellbeing. When comparing the two, they found that attending more face-to-face events led to a boost in positive emotions like joy, happiness and excitement. Plus, the more often a person attended events in the flesh, the more immersed and engaged they felt, making time fly by unnoticed.
Flinders University senior lecturer Dr Eliza Kitchen said, 'What we found is that events do much more than just drive tourism and boost the economy; they also play a critical role in enhancing wellbeing. This gives us another strong reason to support events, not just for visitors, but for the benefits of locals as well.'
While there's still a space for virtual events, the researchers found that online or livestreamed experiences only increase people's sense of accomplishment – but don't have the same positive impact on other aspects of wellbeing that in-person events deliver.
So, if you're looking to boost your happiness levels, here are a few cool things you can do in Australia:
🎬
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Metro
3 hours ago
- Metro
Chloe Kelly's proud husband joins sweet tributes after Women's Euros win
The Lionesses have been met with an outpouring of love and appreciation from their nearest and dearest following England's victory at the Women's Euros 2025 Final. After remaining at loggerheads with old rivals Spain for much of the match, the squad finally brought football home with a 3-1 win during penalty shootouts. This was second time lucky for the Lionesses, who were previously beaten by Spain during the 2023 World Cup. Things got off to a shaky start with a missed kick from Beth Mead, but England managed to forge ahead thanks to some sterling work from goalkeeper Hannah Hampton. This gave woman of the match Chloe Kelly the chance to catch up, scoring the winning spot-kick. As the country celebrates, the Lionesses' partners have joined the nation in sharing their pride. Woman of the hour Chloe is married to groundsman and greenkeeper Scott Moore, having reportedly met while she was playing for Everton and married in 2024 after five years of dating. Scott's Instagram account is private, but Chloe reposted his pride-filled Instagram tribute to her own Story after the match ended. 'Speechless once again,' he wrote in the accompanying text, along with two silver heart emojis. 'I'm so grateful to have you by my side,' Chloe added below Scott's picture and words. Women's England Captain Leah Williamson's biggest cheerleader was partner Elle Smith. The former Miss USA winner showed her support in a t-shirt emblazoned with the slogan 'Live, Laugh, Leah.' Although the pair have never confirmed that they are dating, they appeared to 'soft launch' their relationship this year in a series of loved-up social media posts. Leah's supportive partner previously showcased her pride after a match back in May, sharing a black-and-white selfie in which Elle wrapped her arms around Leah from behind. Ashley Hodson, partner of Lauren Hemp, celebrated the team's win by sharing an Instagram Story and a series of pictures to her account. 'Champions babyyy! So proud 🫶🏴🏆', she wrote in the caption to her post. In these pictures, she and Lauren could be seen standing side by side, with a grinning Ashley holding up the freshly won medal. Meanwhile, in her Instagram Stories, Ashley described Lauren as her 'inspo,' sharing a picture of Lauren holding the trophy aloft. Another image also depicted Lauren mid-celebration, roaring in victory in the wake of the team's win. Lauren has been dating Sheffield United midfielder Hodson since 2023. At the end of a Heineken-filled day, Joe Bunney, boyfriend of Ella Toone (and footballer for Stalybridge Celtic), shared footage from her joyous victory celebration. 'Words don't describe how proud I am of you,' he wrote in one Instagram Story. In the next, he shared a selfie with Ella, writing 'BACK 2 BACK' in the caption, along with two trophy emojis and two red hearts. Vivianne Miedema, the girlfriend of Beth Mead, shared a selfie with partner Beth and Australian footballer Steph Catley. 'Proud proud' the Dutch footballer wrote in the accompanying caption to her Instagram Stories post. She then echoed the sentiment in a post to her main Instagram feed, sharing a snap of Beth sitting on her lap in the wake of the match. More Trending '🥹 proud of you,' she wrote in the accompanying caption. In the comments below, Beth responded: 'Love you ❤️' The football power couple first met while playing for Arsenal and have been together ever since. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Chloe Kelly sends pointed message to her doubters after England's Women's Euro 2025 triumph MORE: Spain manager and star player emotionally speak out on 'cruel' England loss MORE: Ian Wright names 'major favourite' for 2027 Women's World Cup after England win Euros

Leader Live
9 hours ago
- Leader Live
Two ‘incredible' new professional dancers join Strictly Come Dancing cast
American-born Alexis Warr and Australian-born Julian Caillon will join the hit dance competition series as it returns to BBC One and iPlayer this autumn. Warr, who is best known for winning the US dance series So You Think You Can Dance in 2022 and was crowned America's favourite dancer, became the first female ballroom and Latin dancer to claim the title. On joining Strictly Come Dancing, Warr said: 'I've admired Strictly for years, so joining this incredible family is such an honour. 'I can't wait to step into the ballroom, pour my heart into every moment, and share my love of dance with the UK.' Caillon, who specialises in ballroom and Latin American, has appeared as a professional dancer for three seasons of Australia's version of Strictly Come Dancing, titled Australia's Dancing With The Stars. He said: 'Joining the cast of Strictly really is a dream come true. 'I've watched it for years, especially cheering on all the amazing dancers I know and work with who've been part of it. 'I can't wait to get stuck in, have some fun, and be part of something special!' The newcomers will join the current cast of professional dancers, which includes Dianne Buswell, Nadiya Bychkova, Amy Dowden, Karen Hauer and Katya Jones. Neil Jones will also return in the autumn along with Nikita Kuzmin, Gorka Marquez, Luba Mushtuk and Jowita Przystal. The new series, hosted by recent MBE recipients, Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly, will also welcome back Johannes Radebe, Aljaz Skorjanec, Kai Widdrington, Nancy Xu, Carlos Gu, Lauren Oakley, Michelle Tsiakkas and Vito Coppola. Warr and Caillon will join the professionals each week for group routines, music acts, theme weeks and Strictly's annual trip to Blackpool. Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke and Shirley Ballas will also return to the judging panel. Sarah James, executive producer at BBC Studios, said: 'We've been big fans of Alexis and Julian for some time, so it's with great excitement that we now welcome them both to the Strictly family. 'They're two incredible dancers with bright futures ahead of them, and we know viewers are going to love getting to know them both.' Kalpna Patel-Knight, head of entertainment at the BBC, added: 'Alexis and Julian are the perfect additions to Strictly, and we can't wait for you to see them light up the ballroom this autumn. 'With our fantastic professional dancers, plus everything else we love about Strictly, the new series promises to be bigger, better and even more glitter-packed than ever before.' The news comes after the series faced a string of incidents this year, including Welsh tenor and former BBC Radio Wales presenter, Wynne Evans, being dropped by the broadcaster after he made an apology saying that he used 'inappropriate language' during the launch of the Strictly Come Dancing tour. Months later, EastEnders star James Borthwick was also suspended from the BBC after a video emerged of the actor using a disabled slur on the set of the dance programme. Strictly Come Dancing will return to BBC One and iPlayer this autumn.


Daily Mirror
10 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Rebel Wilson devastated by second loss months after grandfather died
Rebel Wilson took to social media this weekend to commemorate her late grandmother who passed away at the impressive age of 95 - and who joined the star at her wedding last year Rebel Wilson has been left heartbroken by the death of her beloved grandmother - just months after her grandfather passed away. The Pitch Perfect star shared touching details of her grandmother Gar's life. Taking to social media on Sunday, Rebel, 45, shared a montage of images of her grandmother - sound tracked by the song Somewhere Over The Rainbow, sung by Judy Garland. The song choice had special meaning which gave insight into her grandmother's mischievous personality. Rebel wrote: "Goodbye to my incredible Grandma Gar - the BEST grandmother ever. She passed away at 95 years old." She continued: "Her favourite movie was The Wizard of Oz because when she was a young girl she was banned by her father from seeing it for being 'naughty' but years later finally got to watch it." Rebel then revealed that her grandmother was deeply proud of her and the acting career she carved out for herself. She explained: "She used to keep a scrapbook of news clippings of my career because she was so proud and even last night was telling paramedics about me as she was being taken to hospital - recounting her glorious holiday on the Queen Mary that I had given her as a present when I had started making it big in Hollywood." The Australian actress went on: "When I was 11 she took me and my sister to America - it was one of the best week's of my entire life. We took her on SPACE MOUNTAIN at Disneyland saying 'it's not that scary Gar!' and she screamed the entire way down holding on for dear life. I'm glad her last 'big' outing was to our wedding at the Opera House." She continued: "She loved watching tennis, musicals, neenish tarts, but most importantly she LOVED her family - her children, grandchildren and now great grandchildren. She leaves behind an incredible legacy. She had a hair salon back in the day when few women owned businesses. She endured so much in her life and was always so kind and sweet. To me she is a Queen and I proudly carry her royal name of Elizabeth." And she concluded: "Love you Gar and love to all my family at this very sad time." The tragic news came months after Rebel revealed how delighted she and her now wife, Ramona Agruma, 40, were able to welcome Gar to their wedding last year. Rebel wrote in an Instagram post last December: "My sister Liberty officiated our legal wedding in Sydney! It meant my 94 year old grandmother Gar could come which was very special to us to have her included and just felt right to do it in my hometown at this glorious time of the year." Rebel's grandfather, who she affectionately called Poppy, died in December last year. She shared a photo of herself with her relative on Instagram Stories at the time along with a message stating: "RIP Poppy – 97 years young. The best grandpa!"