Did this one actually measure happiness? Seems like a lot of these things measure things that do or should correlate with happiness, but don't actually assess if people are happy or not.

Norway?

The country that brought us Norwegian Death Metal is ranked happiest?

Another UN failure.

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Civilize the mind, but make savage the body.

- Chinese proverb

Apparently. Gallup Analytics did surveys asking people how they felt. Its interesting that there are some rather happy places that are not necessary wealthy. i.e. Costa Rica. Uruguay, etc.

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Remember - It's important to be comfortable in your own skin... because it turns out society frowns on wearing other people's

Maybe the conservatives should tell us once again how democratic socialism doesn't work.

Good, always bugs me when they do these things but don't actually measure happiness.

x2

My first thought upon reviewing the list was "this maps pretty well to countries having the most death metal bands per capital."

Maybe the conservatives should tell us once again how democratic socialism doesn't work.

It's a "poll" - therefore it's got to be #fakenews! :)

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

The Finns have the most heavy metal per capita. Who knew heavy metal was so associated with happiness.

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They constantly try to escape from the darkness outside and within
Dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good T.S. Eliot

if memory serves each of those countries has only one capital

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https://lshtm.academia.edu/MikeCallaghan

http://howtobeswiss.blogspot.ch/

There's no way a country that doesn't see the sun for a few months a year is that happy, I don't care how much oil money they have!!

My cousin married a Norwegian chick and lives over there. It does actually seem as though they are living the dream. I think he would like to come home because its home, but he concedes that Norway is a far better country to raise his family in.

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Long Chile was a silly place.

these lists always make for a good parlour game.

i'm definitely most curious about places like costa rica and chile - obviously the other countries get 'happy' by throwing a lot of money at their problems, which isn't exactly rocket science. would it be easy to be happy in norway? switzerland? canada? yes.

but how does a country like costa rica or chile achieve such good results despite apparently having less cash to throw around? that's interesting to me.

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https://lshtm.academia.edu/MikeCallaghan

http://howtobeswiss.blogspot.ch/

I once fooled around with a Norwegian fitness model. Never banged her but did pretty much everything else. She was 5'2 and about 95-100 lbs.

She seemed happy when I was done with her. I certainly was.

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Civilize the mind, but make savage the body.

- Chinese proverb

All I know is it seems residents of the central African republic are a real bunch of whiners.

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Long Chile was a silly place.

Why isn't Cuba on the list?

put another way, who do you think are the 'top 3 stars' of world capitalism? i'd go USA, singapore, and switzerland. they fare well enough here. but if the top 3 stars of democratic socialism are, say, the nordics (or canada or germany), well, they fare better.

but anyway,
-mike

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____________________________________
https://lshtm.academia.edu/MikeCallaghan

http://howtobeswiss.blogspot.ch/

Yes, that does seem like fun.

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Long Chile was a silly place.

There's pics of her out on the webs. I'm still IG friends her. She's plump now.

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Civilize the mind, but make savage the body.

- Chinese proverb

Where's Laos, Djibouti, Oman, Swaziland?

Djibouti is on the posterior side of a human, just below the natural waist. If Djibouti is particularly nice, it may make you say Oman.

Seriously? Capita isn't in the iPhone's vocabulary?

Apparently not. It corrected me 3 times while typing this.

Cheers!

And the demographics of the top 10?

One theory would be that idealism (be it conservative or liberal idealism) is closely related to unhappiness.

Idealism is the belief that the world is NOT as it should be. That the world SHOULD be forced to conform to some vision or "ideal."

The vision could be that of a small business capitalist paradise. The vision could be that of a communist workers paradise.

The more passionately one believes in the vision, the less capable one is of seeing the problem that the "ideal" creates. And an idealist never sees the circumstances in which their ideals don't work.

Some free market idealist might look at Norway and see "socialism."
A communist idealist might look at Norway and see an evil capitalistic society with "a fake veneer of socialism."

But what these idealist should see is a pragmatic mix of capitalism and socialism.

zing!

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____________________________________
https://lshtm.academia.edu/MikeCallaghan

http://howtobeswiss.blogspot.ch/

I bicycled around the world and spent most of my time in the small villages. In my experience, the happiest people in the world live in poor countries, in the smaller communities outside of big cities. They have lots of children around, lots of neighbors, the father working and the mother at home with the kids. The family has shelter, even if very simple, enough to eat and the children are able to go to school. If the father doesn't work, it causes lots of problems.

If they are wealthier than being able to cover their basic needs, or poorer that they don't have the ability to provide food and clothing for their children, the happiness level falls. If they live in the cities, they tend to be less happy because of a smaller social support system of friends and neighbors and far more exposure to what other people have around the world. That makes them feel they are missing out and suddenly become less satisfied with their own lives. The more exposure they have to wealth or wealthy people, the more they want.

By far and away, the happiest people were in the small villages of Laos, Cambodia and the Philippines. The one big change I noticed since leaving there and returning to Canada is that people are locked away behind gates here. There are no playgrounds filled with laughing kids and the adults are so busy and stressed. It was far harder to adjust coming home than it was going there.

Huh, some of the least diverse countries are the happiest. Racists!

Rigged!

Everyone knows Bhutan is top 10. The goal of the country is happiness!

i sort of buy this, and i sort of don't. i too have spent a lot of time abroad and off the beaten track. i agree that in some ways people in those villages look a hell of a lot happier than people in gated communities in canada.

but those villagers also still get polio, or have children die of cholera, and can't put their money in the bank because it'll disappear, and don't trust the police to prevent or investigate crime.

yes, there's a point past which mo' money does not equal mo' happiness, and most of the rich west is well past that point. but i also am wary of romanticizing those others . . .

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https://lshtm.academia.edu/MikeCallaghan

http://howtobeswiss.blogspot.ch/

As Biggie said "mo money mo problems."

I have some friends who do agricultural development work in the second world. They find it very weird how much food is in supermarkets. I mean who needs 10 different kinds of peanut butter or French fries. They feel out of place when they come to visit. I am quite happy living in my small town atmosphere I don't feel any pressure to keep up with the Jones.

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They constantly try to escape from the darkness outside and within
Dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good T.S. Eliot

Austria 7.006
United States 6.993




Someone's head just exploded.

What demographic measure are you specifically referring to?

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Remember - It's important to be comfortable in your own skin... because it turns out society frowns on wearing other people's

I hear that the Austrians would be even happier if not for the whiny, no good, subordinates that their international subsidiaries have to deal with.

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Remember - It's important to be comfortable in your own skin... because it turns out society frowns on wearing other people's

Never have put much stock in them, as it seems there are just too many variables. OTOH we have this from the report:

"Happiness has fallen in America

The USA is a story of reduced happiness. In 2007
the USA ranked 3rd among the OECD countries;
in 2016 it came 19th. The reasons are declining
social support and increased corruption (chapter
7) and it is these same factors that explain why the
Nordic countries do so much better."
-
THANKS OBAMA! lol

This is what CIA is saying about Norway
https://www.cia.gov/...actbook/geos/no.html

Health expenditures:
9.7% of GDP (2014)

Population below poverty line:
NA%

Economy - overview:
Norway's has a stable economy with a vibrant private sector, a large state sector, and an extensive social safety net. Norway opted out of the EU during a referendum in November 1994; nonetheless, as a member of the European Economic Area, it contributes sizably to the EU budget.
The country is richly endowed with natural resources in addition to oil and gas, including hydropower, fish, forests, and minerals. The government manages the country’s petroleum resources through extensive regulation. The petroleum sector provides about 9% of jobs, 15% of GDP, and 39% of exports, according to official national estimates. Norway is one of the world's leading petroleum exporters, though oil production in 2015 was close to 50% below its peak in 2000; annual gas production, conversely, more than doubled over the same time period.
In anticipation of eventual declines in oil and gas production, Norway saves state revenue from petroleum sector activities in the world's largest sovereign wealth fund, valued at over $800 billion as of early 2016. The government allows itself to use up to 4% of the fund’s value, its annual expected real rate of return, to help balance the federal budget each year. After solid GDP growth in 2004-07, the economy slowed in 2008, and contracted in 2009, before returning to modest, positive growth from 2010 to 2015. Lower oil prices in 2015 caused growth to slow, increased unemployment, and weakened the Norwegian krone. The latter trend has mitigated the negative impact of lower oil and gas prices by making Norwegian exports cheaper for foreign buyers. The government has expressed willingness to increase public spending from the sovereign wealth fund to help prevent a recession.

i sort of buy this, and i sort of don't. i too have spent a lot of time abroad and off the beaten track. i agree that in some ways people in those villages look a hell of a lot happier than people in gated communities in canada.

but those villagers also still get polio, or have children die of cholera, and can't put their money in the bank because it'll disappear, and don't trust the police to prevent or investigate crime.

I made a distinction from the very poor, the ones with kids dying of diseases. In my experience, there is a certain level of income you need but if the father is working at a job that can pay for shelter, food and their children's education, it seems the people are happiest. It takes a certain amount of income to have a safe home, good clothes and shoes, access to healthcare and to be able to buy clothes and books for schools (most are not completely free).

I lived in a very poor part of the Philippines and saw a lot of poverty and those people were not happy. Typically, the father was out of work and when that happens, the family tends to break down, probably the biggest cause of the problems. Having reasonable shelter, good clothes, adequate food and a chance for the children to have a good education are not possible in those situations. You end up with a lot of crime and family members (and children) always looking for ways to make money instead of socializing or playing. In some places, the children couldn't go to school because the parents couldn't afford the transportation to get them there. That doesn't make for a happy family.

Maybe since Cuba isn't a Democratic Socialist state?

According to this site, http://www.indexmundi.com/...raphics_profile.html it appears it is % with improved drinking water and sanitation facilities.

And that actually makes sense. I would certainly be unhappy having to live with and drink poop.

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I'm beginning to think that we are much more fucked than I thought.

You certainly aren't an example of a happy Norwegian, since you clearly are happier here in the good ol US taking advantage of things that I guess just aren't available in the happy place. Maybe it is that we have Disneyland and Disneyworld. But I know I would be happier if you were back where you came from.

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"In the world I see you are stalking elk through the damp canyon forests around the ruins of Rockefeller Center. You'll wear leather clothes that will last you the rest of your life. You'll climb the wrist-thick kudzu vines that wrap the Sears Towers. And when you look down, you'll see tiny figures pounding corn, laying stripes of venison on the empty car pool lane of some abandoned superhighway." T Durden

Finland in the top five?????

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sometimes

You have no clue why people work in other countries.

Let me guess, you do not work in tech.

Oh I do. And it isn't hard to figure out. You just offend me when you come here and bite the hand that feeds you.

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"In the world I see you are stalking elk through the damp canyon forests around the ruins of Rockefeller Center. You'll wear leather clothes that will last you the rest of your life. You'll climb the wrist-thick kudzu vines that wrap the Sears Towers. And when you look down, you'll see tiny figures pounding corn, laying stripes of venison on the empty car pool lane of some abandoned superhighway." T Durden

Blondes have more fun!

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Civilize the mind, but make savage the body.

- Chinese proverb

Finland, Finland, Finland, that's the country for me

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

It is hilarious how much he irritates you.

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Proud member of the MSF (Maple Syrup Mafia)

I fart in your general direction

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Remember - It's important to be comfortable in your own skin... because it turns out society frowns on wearing other people's

Norway is now the happiest place on earth. Employment I guess is a major contributing factor of happiness. Most residents of the countries listed in the top 20 can make their own choice on who they want to be and what career path they would like to choose. The political climate of the country can also leave a deep impact on the people. It's rightly said that most leaders should focus more on the citizens well being rather than sinking deeper down into corruption.