Finland, 6th happiest country in the world. U.S. is 23rd
Denmark #1, Sweden #7, Canada #10, England #41, Russia #167. From BusinessWeek Online…
It’s dark and cold in the winter and has some of the highest taxes in Europe. But that doesn’t get in the way of Finns’ overall happiness. 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. Poverty is rare; so too, is extreme wealth. “Our beloved government makes sure that taxes are high enough to prevent easy ways to riches,†says Jaakko Lehtonen, director-general of the Finnish Tourism Board. “Finns think a good salary is two cents higher than your neighbor’s; it’s enough to make you feel wealthy and subsequently, happy,†he says.
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.
Comment by Åboy — Fri, Oct 27th, 2006 @ 3:02 pm
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
Comment by Unlce Sam — Fri, Oct 27th, 2006 @ 3:09 pm
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.
Comment by Commentator — Fri, Oct 27th, 2006 @ 3:14 pm
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
Comment by Kristian (in Espoo) — Fri, Oct 27th, 2006 @ 3:15 pm
I don’t know about you but I am moving from Canada to Bhutan in search of happiness
Comment by bill — Fri, Oct 27th, 2006 @ 3:31 pm
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!
Comment by kylmä totuus — Fri, Oct 27th, 2006 @ 3:31 pm
Phil… do please remove post #7 at your earliest convenience. I’d sooner read winter and finnpundit than that.
Thanks.
Comment by kylmä totuus — Fri, Oct 27th, 2006 @ 3:52 pm
“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.
Comment by winter — Fri, Oct 27th, 2006 @ 4:24 pm
Who is better to measure your own happiness than yourself?
Comment by Phil — Fri, Oct 27th, 2006 @ 5:21 pm
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.
Comment by finnsense — Fri, Oct 27th, 2006 @ 6:19 pm
How can you be sure that your assessment of happiness, let’s say “five”, is anything close to some other persons “five”?
Comment by Åboy — Fri, Oct 27th, 2006 @ 6:36 pm
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.”
Comment by iJusten — Fri, Oct 27th, 2006 @ 7:00 pm
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.)
Comment by funkybrownchick — Fri, Oct 27th, 2006 @ 7:15 pm
I’m drunk right now, I’m happy ^^
Comment by Kez0nat0r — Fri, Oct 27th, 2006 @ 9:15 pm
Like the Greek guy said:
“I’m not afraid of anything.
I don’t need anything;
I’m free.”
Yep, I’m happy.
Comment by Antti (the redneck one) — Fri, Oct 27th, 2006 @ 9:36 pm
Bill, are you saying it’s impossible that the Bhutanese are happier than Canadians? What the hell…
Comment by Pave — Fri, Oct 27th, 2006 @ 9:39 pm
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.
Comment by bill — Fri, Oct 27th, 2006 @ 10:56 pm
I am not surprised by the rankings, just wondering how the US ranked that high.
Comment by Oregon — Sat, Oct 28th, 2006 @ 12:32 am
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
Comment by Kristian (in Espoo) — Sat, Oct 28th, 2006 @ 2:14 am
A big chance for any ads agency – PAY MORE TAXES FEEL HAPPIER-
Strudel http://www.strudeltimes.it
Comment by strudel — Sat, Oct 28th, 2006 @ 8:37 am
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?
Comment by SUPERinfer — Sat, Oct 28th, 2006 @ 11:14 am
Money can give you diversion, not happiness.
Comment by aet75 — Sat, Oct 28th, 2006 @ 11:31 am
@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 ?
Comment by bill — Sat, Oct 28th, 2006 @ 1:09 pm
“”"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.
Comment by SUPERinfer — Sat, Oct 28th, 2006 @ 1:53 pm
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.
Comment by Howard Lumsden — Sat, Oct 28th, 2006 @ 4:31 pm
@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.
Comment by Mikko — Sat, Oct 28th, 2006 @ 8:40 pm
“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?
Comment by saempy — Sun, Oct 29th, 2006 @ 5:00 pm
happy happy joy joy!
Comment by inFINNdel — Thu, Nov 2nd, 2006 @ 8:10 am
Buddha says:suffering is the path to happiness
Comment by inFINNdel — Thu, Nov 2nd, 2006 @ 3:40 pm
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.
Comment by Hodder — Fri, Nov 10th, 2006 @ 5:37 pm
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.
Comment by Darren — Mon, Feb 19th, 2007 @ 2:16 am