If you're happy and you know it, you must live in Denmark
Denmark is the happiest place on Earth, researchers said today.
A University of Leicester academic has produced a World Map of Happiness outlining the life satisfactions of a country's population.
Littlejohn: No wonder Britons are leaving in their droves
And while the Danes will be smiling, Brits should not be downbeat, said social psychologist Adrian White, who placed the UK 41st out of 178 countries for happiness.
Ireland in 11th place, said Mr White, also scored highly in the five main criteria for being happy - health, wealth, education, a sense of identity and the aesthetic quality of its landscape.
Seven of the top ten happiest countries were western democracies with state welfare systems including healthcare and education provision.
But bigger countries such as Russia and China scored low as their physical size meant people felt no attachment to a national identity.
"There is a belief that capitalism leads to unhappy people," said Mr White. "However, when people are asked if they are happy with their lives, people in countries with good healthcare, a higher GDP per capita, and access to education were much more likely to report being happy.
"The frustrations of modern life, and the anxieties of the age, seem to be much less significant compared to the health, financial and educational needs in other parts of the world.
"The current concern with happiness levels in the UK may well be a case of the 'worried well'. "It is worth remembering that the UK is doing relatively well in this area, coming 41st out of 178 nations.
"We were surprised to see countries in Asia scoring so low, with China 82nd, Japan 90th and India 125th. These are countries that are thought as having a strong sense of collective identity which other researchers have associated with well-being.
"It is also notable that many of the largest countries in terms of population do quite badly."
Mr White's analysis is based on the findings of more than 100 different studies, questioning 80,000 people from around the world.
Mr White, a social psychologist at the university's school of psychology, analysed data published by UNESCO, the CIA, the New Economics Foundation and the World Health Organisation to create a global projection of subjective well-being: the first world map of happiness.
:: The 10 happiest nations in the world are: 1. Denmark 2. Switzerland 3. Austria 4. Iceland 5. The Bahamas 6. Finland 7. Sweden 8. Bhutan 9. Brunei 10. Canada
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/a ... ge_id=1770
Denmark is the happiest place on Earth, researchers said today.
A University of Leicester academic has produced a World Map of Happiness outlining the life satisfactions of a country's population.
Littlejohn: No wonder Britons are leaving in their droves
And while the Danes will be smiling, Brits should not be downbeat, said social psychologist Adrian White, who placed the UK 41st out of 178 countries for happiness.
Ireland in 11th place, said Mr White, also scored highly in the five main criteria for being happy - health, wealth, education, a sense of identity and the aesthetic quality of its landscape.
Seven of the top ten happiest countries were western democracies with state welfare systems including healthcare and education provision.
But bigger countries such as Russia and China scored low as their physical size meant people felt no attachment to a national identity.
"There is a belief that capitalism leads to unhappy people," said Mr White. "However, when people are asked if they are happy with their lives, people in countries with good healthcare, a higher GDP per capita, and access to education were much more likely to report being happy.
"The frustrations of modern life, and the anxieties of the age, seem to be much less significant compared to the health, financial and educational needs in other parts of the world.
"The current concern with happiness levels in the UK may well be a case of the 'worried well'. "It is worth remembering that the UK is doing relatively well in this area, coming 41st out of 178 nations.
"We were surprised to see countries in Asia scoring so low, with China 82nd, Japan 90th and India 125th. These are countries that are thought as having a strong sense of collective identity which other researchers have associated with well-being.
"It is also notable that many of the largest countries in terms of population do quite badly."
Mr White's analysis is based on the findings of more than 100 different studies, questioning 80,000 people from around the world.
Mr White, a social psychologist at the university's school of psychology, analysed data published by UNESCO, the CIA, the New Economics Foundation and the World Health Organisation to create a global projection of subjective well-being: the first world map of happiness.
:: The 10 happiest nations in the world are: 1. Denmark 2. Switzerland 3. Austria 4. Iceland 5. The Bahamas 6. Finland 7. Sweden 8. Bhutan 9. Brunei 10. Canada
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/a ... ge_id=1770
