Don't worry, be happy!
Those who live in the north are happier. But why?
WHY HAPPINESS IS AT HOME IN NORTHERN EUROPE ...
... this is described in the current World Happiness Report, which has already been published for the fifth time. The World Happiness Report 2017 – published annually by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network – examines how happy the inhabitants of the countries of the world are.
Canada stagnates in 16th place and was behind the USA, among others, in the World Happiness Report of 2017. Although Canada had been able to improve by ten ranks in the meantime, it then fell back to 16th place – behind countries such as the USA (14), Costa Rica (12) or Israel (11). In addition, the Central African Republic (155) is at the very back.
WHY ARE THE NORDIC COUNTRIES DOING SO WELL DESPITE THE DARKNESS?
If you look at the top five, it is noticeable that, with the exception of Switzerland, all of them are countries from the north. If you ask the people on the streets in Norway, it is the small everyday pleasures that make the inhabitants happy. Whether it's sunshine at the beginning of spring, a walk in nature or spending time together with the children.
One could probably say: what makes the Norwegians so happy is that most of them have no big worries. Norway is a rich country with many resources and high incomes. In addition, the income differences are small and there is little poverty and unemployment. The well-developed welfare system guarantees that Scandinavians have less to worry about their future. By the way, more than 75 percent of all Norwegians think that they trust most people. Despite the darkness in the north, very few Scandinavians are depressed, and they are hardly bothered by stress. The Norwegians are more likely to say gloom to the Finns.
HOW IS HAPPINESS MEASURED?
Among other things, the report combines country data with surveys about the self-perception of its residents. When measuring happiness, the following factors are important: the subjectively perceived happiness; the perceived freedom to determine one's own life; the personal perception of corruption and generosity in a country; income; life expectancy and the available social network.
The generosity of the respondents in donations also plays a role in measuring happiness. Negative factors such as worry, sadness and anger are also included. Based on this, each country gets a number of points. The more points, the higher the position. For example, Norway scored 7,537 points that year - only 15 points more than the Danes in 2nd place.
