Adrian White, an analytic social
psychologist at the University of Leicester in England, has collected data from
more than 100 studies around the globe and created a list that ranks 178
countries on the basis of happiness -- the subjective perceived well-being of
the populace within each country.
Participants in the various studies,
some 80,000 people worldwide, were asked questions relating to satisfaction
with life and personal happiness. According to Professor White, "a
nation's level of happiness was most closely associated with health levels,
followed by wealth, and then provision of education."
Believe it or not, the top 20 happiest
nations are:
1) Denmark
2) Switzerland
3) Austria
4) Iceland
5) The Bahamas
6) Finland
7) Sweden
8) Bhutan
9) Brunei
10) Canada
11) Ireland
12) Luxembourg
13) Costa Rica
14) Malta
15) The Netherlands
16) Antigua and Barbuda
17) Malaysia
18) New Zealand
19) Norway
20) The Seychelles
Some of the more prominent nations with
large populations and/or significant global influence include:
23) USA
35) Germany
41) England
62) France
82) China
90) Japan
125) India
167) Russia.
And at the bottom of the list:
176) Democratic Republic of the Congo
177) Zimbabwe
178) Burundi.
As expected, the smaller nations tend
to be the happier ones -- less people, less problems. Large countries with a
multi-cultural populace have more internal conflict -- it's difficult to
accommodate a wide variety of views.
Obviously, freedom wasn't a significant
factor in this study. The countries at the top of the list are highly
socialistic where taxes are burdensomely high and the government operates a
multitude of social services.
In a collectivist society, people
become dependent upon government thereby lowering individual initiative, causing
economic stagnation. It also diminishes the pride and joy of personal accomplishment.
It's not too surprising that a social
psychologist would consider "well-being" factors as the primary
elements of happiness. But to many people, individual freedom is far more
important than a government handout.
Weather certainly wasn't a major consideration
either. Six out of the top seven nations are Nordic countries near the Arctic
Circle where the air is cold, the nights are long and everyone drinks vodka
just to stay warm.
In 2004, a liberal friend of mine was
so upset with the Bush administration he decided to move to Finland because
they have all sorts of government benefits. He also indicated he wanted to
teach his sons to be self-sufficient.
When I pointed out that Finland had a
high incidence of depression and the highest suicide rate in the world, he
argued it was genetic. When I mentioned that socialism was the opposite of
self-sufficiency, he growled at me. When I told him the search for happiness
was one of the main reasons for unhappiness, he told me to eat dirt and die.
I don't think he ever did move to
Finland, but don't know for sure. Our friendship ceased when it became apparent
he was a blithering idiot. Wherever he landed, I'm certain he feels entitled to
the earnings of others -- after all, that's what self-sufficiency is all about.
The USA is far from perfect. But it's
big enough, from sea to shining sea, to explore until you find your niche, be
it the backwoods of Arkansas, the lakes of Minnesota, the mountains of
Colorado, the desert of Arizona, the beaches of Florida, the hills of
Tennessee, the expanse of Alaska, the islands of Hawaii, the shores of Carolina,
the big sky of Montana, the bayous of Louisiana, the bustle of New York, or the
fantasy of California.
You can live a happy life in the USA. There
are plenty of lifestyles to choose from; or you could end your pursuit of
happiness and just be happy. If you can't find happiness within yourself, you
won't find it elsewhere.
Besides, if you were happy every day of
your life, you wouldn't be human – you'd be a game show host.
___________
Quote for the Day -- "Mystical
references to society and its programs to help may warm the hearts of the
gullible but what it really means is putting more power in the hands of
bureaucrats." Thomas Sowell
___________
Bret Burquest is the author
of 12 books. He lives in the Ozark Mountains with a dog named Donner and where
happiness is an inside job.
___________
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