Secret Society of Happy People
Secret Society of Happy People (SOHP) is an organization that celebrates the expression of happiness. Founded in August 1998, the society encourages thousands of members from all around the globe to recognize their happy moments and think about happiness in their daily life. Purpose The Secret Society of Happy People supports people who want to share their happiness despite the ones who don't want to hear happy news. Their mottos include "Happiness Happens" and "Don’t Even Think of Raining on My Parade". The main purpose of the Society is to stimulate people's right to express their happiness "as loud as they want". Reception The Society was founded in August 1998 in Irving, Texas, by Pamela Gail Johnson. In December 1998, it gained international reception, when it challenged advice columnist Ann Landers for discouraging people from writing happy holiday newsletters enclosed with their holiday cards. In a letter to Landers, Johnson demanded an apology "to the millions of people you made feel bad for wanting to share their happy news." The Society's campaign persuaded Landers to change her advice on holiday letters, one of the rare occasions the columnist had a change of heart. Within the next few years the Society