If you want to be happy, be an European. Better yet, be a Nordic European.
Nordic countries took five of the 10 top spots in the latest list of the "World Happiness Report" compiled by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network for the United Nations. The report was released on March 20, the date the United Nations has declared the "International Day of Happiness."
The world's 10 happiest countries for the year are (from first to tenth): Finland, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, New Zealand, Canada and Austria.
Of these countries, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Sweden are Nordic countries notable for their chilly environments, high income taxes and extensive social safety nets and pensions that protect their citizens until old age.
The presence of New Zealand (number 8) and Australia (number 11) now seems ironic given the terrible events of March 15 where an Australian racist traveled to New Zealand with the express purpose of murdering Muslims in this peaceful country. The list, however, was compiled long before this tragic event.
The report ranks countries on six key variables that create well-being: income, freedom, trust, healthy life expectancy, social support and generosity.
"The top 10 countries tend to rank high in all six variables, as well as emotional measures of well-being," said report co-editor John Helliwell, a professor emeritus of economics at the University of British Columbia.
"It's true that last year all Finns were happier than rest of the countries' residents, but their immigrants were also happiest immigrants in the world. It's not about Finnish DNA. It's the way life is lived in those countries."
Helliwell said the Nordic countries pay quite high taxes for a social safety net. But their citizenas trust their governments; Nordic citizens live in freedom and are generous with each other.
"They do care about each other," according to Helliwell. "That's the kind of place people want to live."
He said the list for 2019 changed only a little from 2018. Austria edged Australia out of the top 10 list. Australia is now in 11th place.
Helliwell noted that what stands out about the happiest and most well connected societies is their resilience and ability to deal with bad things.
"After the 2011 earthquake and now the terrorist attack in Christchurch -- with high social capital, where people are connected -- people rally and help each other and (after the earthquake) rebuild immediately."
The United States was 19th, dropping one spot since 2018 and a total of five spots since 2017.
