These kinds of comparative happiness studies simply do not work. How can you objectively measure happiness?

No two people describe happiness in the same way and no two people feel happy exactly for the same reasons and in the same way and in same amounts. There’s simply no way of measuring one persons happiness objectively against another persons happiness.

All that these kinds of studies measure is the cultural atmosphere for exhibiting “happy” or “unhappy” feelings.

It has been raining the entire feaking week, but it is Friday and I am going to Alko for Vodka and beer and drink myself into oblivion. It should be a happy weekend

Stress is measurable. If there is some level of stress corresponding to certain levels of physiologica stress markers described as optimal by the average person, then it may be possible to measure a major component of happiness.

Too bad we don’t have more rich people. They could pay our taxes for us….
http://www.allegromedia.com/sugi/taxes/#Head-3.htm

Otherwise, I kind of like the dark and cold winter

I don’t know about you but I am moving from Canada to Bhutan in search of happiness

Not ANOTHER fucking pseudostudy! That’s three this week! Is there an industry somewhere churning out this stuff, and what’s THEIR bloody ecological footprint? Number, Number, and more numbers – 57 Gallups and nothing to say.

Pah!

Phil… do please remove post #7 at your earliest convenience. I’d sooner read winter and finnpundit than that.

Thanks.

“Too bad we don’t have more rich people. They could pay our taxes for us…”

Yep, lets tax the rich, so we don’t have any. Any Billionaires in Finland yet? Not one? Well then, we know why, don’t we.

Who is better to measure your own happiness than yourself?

How hard is it to measure your own happiness. You get asked a question about how happy you are generally and then give it a number out of ten. If you’re depressed most of the time you say 4, like Lithuanians but if you wake up bubbly like the Danes, you say 8.5. It’s not rocket science but it’s reasonable to suppose people know how they feel.

How can you be sure that your assessment of happiness, let’s say “five”, is anything close to some other persons “five”?

Åboy, because if “10″ is “the most joyous day of my life” and 1 is “it cant get more shitty”, and then you ask is your normal day closer to 10 than 1, people usually can pretty well determine what they feel like.

“5″ is probably “content” and “6″ “a reason to smile”.

Line from Batman Begins; “Is he happy?” “He is content.”

Not only are Americans, supposedly, not happy … According to a report called “Social Isolation in America” [full report, short summary article ], we also don’t have any friends.

European countries might not have as much money as the we do ( … and, mind you, that’s only true if you totally and completely ignore that tiny little thing called “the debt-load” but that’s a topic for another discussion … ) Wait. Where was I? Oh, yeah, I remember … You might not have as much money, but at least you are happy.

Not only are Americans (reported) less happy … more and more people (1 in 4 to be exact) say that they don’t even have *ONE* person that would count as a “good friend”. No caring spouse. No devoted family members. No one with whom to share the important things in life.

So, really, here’s a question … What’s the point of having your country secure its citizens low taxes and more money if all it does is make those very same citizens more miserable and lonely?

Hmmm … I miss living in Europe!!! But, I have to admit … even after almost four years over there, I never once thought of it as “my home”. For all of its flaws, I still really love the US — and I *ESPECIALLY* love living in New York.

*sigh*

MENTAL NOTE TO SELF: must figure out a way to divide my time such that I spend 6 months in Europe and 6 months in the US each year. That would be great!!! Rich *AND* happy! Right now I’m happy — but, oddly enough, I’m not certainly not rich.

(Phil, sorry for the long comment … this post really resonated with me for some reason.)

I’m drunk right now, I’m happy ^^

Like the Greek guy said:

“I’m not afraid of anything.
I don’t need anything;
I’m free.”

Yep, I’m happy.

Bill, are you saying it’s impossible that the Bhutanese are happier than Canadians? What the hell…

Obviously, it is possible, but somehow I never thought of Bhutan as a bastion of happiness, though now I vaguely remember a 60 min piece about three years ago, where Morley Safer was doing a piece on the lifestyle of the Bhutanese people.

I am not surprised by the rankings, just wondering how the US ranked that high.

Yeah, it’s all part of our grand strategy. We induce unhappy people to kill themselves. That way, only the happy ones remain.

http://www.oecdobserver.org/images//1792.photo.jpg

A big chance for any ads agency – PAY MORE TAXES FEEL HAPPIER-
Strudel http://www.strudeltimes.it

I wonder how much Jaakko Lehtonen, the director-general of the Finnish Tourism Board, makes per month? He seems pretty satisfied that everyone is really making the same salary. Most menial laborers make minimum wage, and we know that just ain’t enough. Sure, there are the social offices, but is it really “fun” to go beg for money when you don’t have enough to feed your kids?

Money can give you diversion, not happiness.

@19 so what is up with Luxembourg ? They have highest per capita GDP in the world and they are killing themselves ? Wow at least here in Finland we have the darkness, cold and the SDP to blame but in Luxembourg ?

“”"Money can give you diversion, not happiness.”"”

Spoken by someone who never has to worry about whether to feed the kids or pay the electricity.

At least we are still in the top 10. But I see alot of miserable faces everyday on there way to work. Especially on Mondays I see about 8 out 10 people who are just dreding going to work.
Be happy with what you have and try to make the best of life. You only have one to live.

@24, that’s why he was speaking in that way. He did not value too much money because he always had it and never needed it.

“High quality medical care — at little to no cost — contributes to the country’s high average life expectancy. The country’s free educational system is one of the best, resulting in a 100% literacy rate.”

If all that stuff is free, then can I have my taxes back?

happy happy joy joy!

Buddha says:suffering is the path to happiness

I live in america, and like it or not… I rate my happiness scale on about 9 for average days. I have little to no money but have alot of “good” friends and a verry loving fiance. So I believe the people in your life make up your happiness not the money or where you live. I’m liveing proof of it.

Very interesting, all the comments, some may be helpful, others not. I am sure all do carry a tone of energy that can change a state of mind,so thanks to all.