The World's Happiest Places

wow... i live in te third happiest place in the world! gotta love holland :)

If Scandanavian countries are so happy why do they have the worlds highest suicide rate?

@Reid of America

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_suicide_rate

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_population

Take the percentage of people living in both countries, then find out the actualy cencus of both to find out the number difference and you have your answer. It's not a pretty answer.

Geez, I tripped the auto mod again. What did I say this time?

Any reason why this is? What are the standards of comparison? I'm miserable and I live in the US, so it would be nice to know if it's economical, etc.

@Reid
Only happy people left!

Maybe not. Truth be told I always thought the rest of the world considered our country a very unhappy place. "Too few friends", little contact with family, fueled by alcohol and self pity... And worst of all not very religious (the horror!).

And now we're number 2 on that list. Has something changed?

jeselvis, check out the linked article. These are all somewhat wealthy countries, but they also looked at job/leisure mix, unemployment, etc etc.

Us Danes might be happy but I remember reading an article that explained how the ranking might not tell the whole truth because of our culture that makes us modest and that people in other countries might rate themselves lower on the happiness scale because they want more of life. But they might actually be happier.
(Hope that made some sort of sense).

From my own experience as a Dane I don't think we are the happiest people in the world because people in other "warmer" countries seem a lot happier. I have been to 3 of the countries mentioned on the list and live in Denmark and whenever I visit other countries that are supposed to be on the lower end of the scale they seem more open, warmer and friendly. Maybe they keep the sadness inside and us westerners keep our happiness bottled up inside.

I guess I should feel proud to be living in Denmark, but that study doesn't tell much of the truth in my eyes.

Or maybe their definition of happiness is different form mine.

looks like they've asked only tourists.. The places listed above are mostly Tourist Destinations.. besides honey moon spots ;)

Wooo ireland number 5!! untill the hangover kicks in

@Reid of America

Scandinavian countries write the suicide as suicide in official records. In central europe and especially catholic countries It's common practice to write it down as something else to save the family from social stigma.

I can not believe Ireland is there, with the division, the lack of employment, etc.... just goes to show happiness is an attitude.

@Mulleteer

That reminds me of how it's like with the Mexican government withholding information about the actually numbers of those who died from the swine flu, or those who have died of malnutrition in North Korea. They are afraid what the people of other countries will think of them.

@catsvillage

Depressions (hence the name) always have an impact on the happiness of a people. It's been known that the sales in alcohol and an increased rate of prostitution goes up as people feed their vices to keep themselves going during those times.

Hmm, I wonder even what good food and a good night’s sleep has to do with cultural happiness.

http://www.economist.com/daily/chartgallery/displayStory.cfm?story_id=13635801&source=features_box4

@Reid of America

Perhaps because more sad people in these areas kill themselves. Therefore, people who do not kill themselves constitute an apparently disproportionate amount of "happy people" in Scandinavian countries compared with societies where sad people do not kill themselves.

"If Scandanavian [sic] countries are so happy why do they have the worlds highest suicide rate?"

This is a myth. No Scandinavian country is even top 10 in suicide, and no country on this list shows up until #13 (Belgium). Denmark is #27.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_suicide_rate

People who commit suicide are a very small fraction of the population, and suicide isn't a strong indicator of how the typical person is doing. Just like how a high fraction of billionaires in your country (e.g. Russia) doesn't necessarily mean the typical person is rich.

A deeply unhappy person in an unhappy country might feel more "normal," but a deeply unhappy person in a happy country might feel even more unusual and isolated.

happy

1340, "lucky," from hap "chance, fortune" (see haphazard), sense of "very glad" first recorded c.1390. Ousted O.E. eadig (from ead "wealth, riches") and gesælig, which has become silly. O.E. bliðe "happy" survives as blithe. From Gk. to Ir., a great majority of the European words for "happy" at first meant "lucky." An exception is Welsh, where the word used first meant "wise." Used in World War II and after as a suffix (e.g. bomb-happy, flak-happy) expressing "dazed or frazzled from stress." Happiness is first recorded 1530. Happy hour "early evening period of discount drinks and free hors-d'oeuvres at a bar" is first recorded 1961. Happy-go-lucky is from 1672. Happy as a clam (1636) was originally happy as a clam in the mud at high tide, when it can't be dug up and eaten.

Wow. This is the same list as those Commie Pinko countries with Universal Healthcare.

http://buelahman.wordpress.com/2009/05/11/guess-who-doesnt-live-in-the-happiest-place-in-the-world/

Being part of the sheeple herd, I used to be very happy until I found out I shouldn't be.

Thanks for nothing.

:(

Clearly, "In my pants!", should have been on the list.

@Seefish3

Clearly this means American's arn't eating enough clams!

.
Congratulations to Canada!
.
It's easy to make your country a "happy" place when there is no demographic change and the nation's the size of a country club.

@Reid of America

Your logic of low suicide rate = happiest people in the world would equate to the following. Some of the happiest countries in the world are: Egypt, Iran, Syria, Haiti, and Kuwait.

I'm thinking that doesn't really add up.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_suicide_rate

Altho I do find it rather suspicious that the "happiest countries" are all so close together. I'm calling BS on this study.

these are very rich countries offcourse thank you..

I've lived in two of those countries and if my experiences there are anything to go by, I shall be avoiding the other eight like the plague

I do find it rather suspicious that the “happiest countries” are all so close together. I’m calling BS on this study.

That's because they are all 'snuggling'!

Actually I always check the validity of these polls, who ran them, are they a Danish tourist board, etc.
Turns out that in this case the originating organisation is pretty solid.
http://www.oecd.org/pages/0,3417,en_36734052_36734103_1_1_1_1_1,00.html

Ireland?! You wouldn't know it from all the moaning we do....

i think happiness here is defined as more money more happiness, but these countries mentioned here are countries rampant in DIVORCE and SUICIDE and boy if you divorce and commit suicide it means there is unhappiness and discontent. money contributes to happiness but it does not guarantee a happy life as a whole.pardon my English, not my native tongue...