Swansea University named happiest university in Wales – and third happiest in the UK, according to AI analysis

That’s according to a new study from Resume.io, which used AI facial recognition technology to analyse thousands of publicly available Instagram selfies tagged at schools around the UK.

Their study found that 58.98% of faces seen in public selfies taken by students and academic staff at Swansea University expressed happiness, placing the school as the top Welsh happiest university and third happiest uni in the UK.

While smiles can range from politely professional to the awkward kind reserved for open mic comedy nights, big grins caught on camera are usually a reliable indicator of a happy mood.

But artificial intelligence increasingly knows best, so, equipped with an Instagram account and an AI tool that can detect emotional levels in faces, Resume.io went in search of the happiest universities in the UK and beyond.

Using the AI tool, thousands of images of faces featured in Instagram photos tagged at different universities were scanned. The tool analyzes clear photos of faces and provides a confidence level from 0% to 100% on how likely a face is to be expressing happiness. For the purposes of the analysis, faces were considered that received a score equal to or greater than 75% to be happy, enabling researchers to calculate the proportion of faces tagged at each university on Instagram that registered as happy.

Not Everyone Feels Happy at University

If countless Hollywood movies are to be believed, the university experience is a happy whirlwind of non-stop parties and socializing with new friends. But, of course, while some people look back on their college years as the best of their lives, many others have different experiences of the journey from freshman to full-fledged graduate; in fact, low mood is actually very common on campus, with one survey revealing that 41% of students in the U.S. have symptoms of depression.

From an overwhelming workload to homesickness, all sorts of factors can contribute to someone not having a blast at university. But, as Sarah Richardson (head of student services at the UK’s University of Derby) puts it, “good mental health is vital for students. In short, happy and healthy students are successful students.” Fortunately, even students at the world’s happiest universities should be able to find plenty of support and guidance if they’re struggling with their mental health.

For ten tips on how to look after your mental health at university, take a look at this helpful guide offered by the University of Michigan.

You can check out Resume.io’s full research online here.

(Lead image: Swansea University)