Flash bulletin: The latest “World Happiness Report,” featuring the happiest countries in the world, is out!
Cue the turquoise waters with sailboats in the background, right? Is Tahiti in the top five? How about Bali? Or other island paradises?
Not so fast. You may be surprised that the top five are actually in colder climates – and the happiness markers have more to do with other factors than lazing around in a hammock with a tropical beverage.
The top 10
Here are the current top rankings:
1. Finland
2. Denmark
3. Iceland
4. Sweden
5. Israel*
6. Netherlands
7. Norway
8. Luxembourg
9. Switzerland
10. Australia
*The survey was taken in Israel before warfare had broken out.
Are you surprised? Those Scandinavian countries are at it again, with Finland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway consistently making the top 10.
Survey says
The World Happiness Report (WHR) is a partnership of Gallup, the Oxford Wellbeing Centre, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network and the WHR’s Editorial Board. The website, www.livehappy.com, is heavily engaged in its compilation and distribution.
It bears noting that the United States and Germany both fell out of the top 20 for the first time since the list began in 2012. Meanwhile, Costa Rica and Kuwait moved into the top 20.
Last year, the U.S. came in at No. 15; this year it ranked 23. According to livehappy.com, the study links the decline to the drop in well-being among people under the age of 30. The U.S. scores higher with older populations, though.
Happiness factorsSix key factors were used to evaluate happiness in this recurring survey:
1. Social support
2. Income
3. Health
4. Freedom
5. Generosity
6. Absence of corruption
Breaking these categories down a little further, the survey measured healthy life expectancy, gross domestic product, employment rate, workforce well-being, trust in one’s government and trust in each other.
Rankings are based on a three-year average of each population’s life assessment.
What’s up with Scandinavia?I’ve been following these surveys since they began in 2012, and I’ve been intrigued with the consistent positive rankings of Scandinavian countries.
One of the major attributes of this region is the overall sense of trust in their communities. I remember watching a TV magazine story about this topic several years ago. It featured a mother leaving her baby carriage in the public square to go into a store.
When questioned whether she was worried about leaving her child, the mother nonchalantly replied, “Oh, they’ll take care of her.”
That image has stuck with me, as this would not be the case in many areas.
I also love the concept of hygge — a Danish and Norwegian word that describes a cozy, contented mood evoked by comfort and conviviality.
Sign me up! Who wouldn’t want more of this?
Satisfaction with life scale
Let’s take a look at the broad components that go into most people’s experience of happiness and well-being, as described by the Satisfaction With Life Scale used in the World Happiness Report and relayed by livehappy.com:
- Social relationships
- Purpose — work, school or meaningful role
- Personal worth
Social relationships
According to livehappy.com, those who score high on life satisfaction scales tend to have close and supportive family and friends, whereas those who do not have close friends and family are more likely to be lonely and dissatisfied.
This can also be situational. The loss of a close family member or friend can tip the scale and cause dissatisfaction with life – and it can take quite a while to bounce back.
Purposeful involvement
Another life satisfaction marker is purposeful involvement with work or school – or performance in an important role such as homemaker or grandparent. As reported by livehappy.com: When the person enjoys his or her involvement – whether it is paid or unpaid – and feels that it is meaningful and important, this contributes to life satisfaction.
When work is going poorly because of bad circumstances or a poor fit with the person’s strengths, this can lower satisfaction. When a person has important goals and is failing to make adequate progress toward them, this can also lead to life dissatisfaction.
Personal worth
Findings from the Satisfaction With Life Scale from the World Happiness Report reveal that one’s personal assessment, as measured by the following categories, also represent key factors in life satisfaction:
- Self-satisfaction –pursuit of goals in alignment with values
- Learning and growth
- Spiritual or religious life – believing in something greater than themselves.
- Leisure
When these sources of worth are compromised, they can be powerful sources of dissatisfaction.
A person’s temperament – a general tendency to be happy or unhappy – was also found to color the responses from respondents and contribute to their perspectives on life.
The unhappiest countries
Besides the happiest countries in the world, the World Happiness Report also looked at places where people are the most miserable.
This year, the countries of Afghanistan, Lebanon, Lesotho, Sierra Leone and Congo were ranked as the bottom five of the unhappiest countries in the world.
Unfortunately, residents in these areas lack many of the conditions necessary for a happy foundation. It’s hard to work one’s way up to self-actualization when the basic necessities of food, shelter and safety are absent.
Rounding out the top 20
Digging a little deeper, the World Happiness Report identified these rankings – from No 11 to No. 20:
11. New Zealand
12. Costa Rica
13. Kuwait
14. Austria
15. Canada
16. Belgium
17. Ireland
18. Czechia
19. Lithuania
20. United Kingdom
Packing your bags?
I doubt there will be a mass migration to Finland as a result of the World Happiness Report, although we can get a sneak peek of life in this area – and others – that may contribute to overall happiness.
Geography is not the magic bullet, though, when it comes to happiness. And it’s more of an “inside job.”
As Abraham Lincoln put it (and he suffered from depression), “Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”
