World's happiest countries

[huamulan]

1 - Denmark
2 - Switzerland
3 - Austria
4 - Iceland
5 - Bahamas
6 - Finland
7 - Sweden
8 - Bhutan
9 - Brunei
10 - Canada

http://images.businessweek.com/ss/06/10 ... dex_01.htm

[Neoteny]

I haven't even heard of any of those countries.

[nietzsche]

let's nuke 'em

[ManBungalow]

Countries with highest GDP according to wikipedia:

1. Qatar
2. Luxembourg
3. Singapore
4. Norway
5. Brunei
6. United States
7. United Arab Emirates
8. Switzerland
9. Netherlands
10. Austria

Honestly, I expected a stronger correlation. You can say that money doesn't equal happiness, but all the same..

[General Brock II]

Countries with highest GDP according to wikipedia:

1. Qatar
2. Luxembourg
3. Singapore
4. Norway
5. Brunei
6. United States
7. United Arab Emirates
8. Switzerland
9. Netherlands
10. Austria

Honestly, I expected a stronger correlation. You can say that money doesn't equal happiness, but all the same..

Very little correlation. Obviously that GDP per Capita, as the US ranks 1st in nominal GDP.

The problem there is that nations like Qatar have oppressive monarchs. Even if people are wealthy, they very rarely are truly happy. Crime isn't low, people aren't necessarily healthy, the environment is poor, education might not be universal, public health systems may not be in place and people could be starving. Denmark is ranked first because its a heavily socialist, subsidized nation that's peaceful and the people are happy because their health system and educational systems are "free" (they don't seem to mind 54% taxation).

[saxitoxin]

Okay, I call B.S. on every one of these "happy country" polls. They're mostly financed by the Government of Bhutan as part of a 20-year old PR stunt one of the king's New York marketing agencies came up with in which they pleasantly declare they are focused on "Gross National Happiness!" not GNP. As part of this program, they've funded all these conferences, surveys and studies into national happiness.

As a marketing campaign this has worked brilliantly and made Bhutan look like a tranquil, peaceful Buddhist kingdom where everyone is in this state of prolonged bliss. You see zero coverage in any media - western or non-western - about the reality of Bhutan and the brutal persecution of the Lhotshampa ethnic group by the Bhutan security establishment. The police and armed forces of Bhutan are about 1:80 per capita, making it one of the most militarized countries in the world. Certainly one of the poorest.

[Dukasaur]

Countries with highest GDP according to wikipedia:

1. Qatar
2. Luxembourg
3. Singapore
4. Norway
5. Brunei
6. United States
7. United Arab Emirates
8. Switzerland
9. Netherlands
10. Austria

Honestly, I expected a stronger correlation. You can say that money doesn't equal happiness, but all the same..

You'd find a much stronger correlation if you compared the other end of the spectrum -- the unhappiest countries and the poorest.

Basically, money can't buy happiness, but lack of money can certainly buy misery. If you can't afford food, you will be very unhappy, but once you cross a certain line of adequacy, buying more food won't make you happier -- it will just make you fat. The same can be said of any other good, whether major or minor. Lack of water will make you very miserable, but once you have enough, adding more water will just make you wet. If you can't afford to go see a movie once in a while, you will be unhappy, but having a home theatre and being able to watch movies 24/7 doesn't make you happy -- it just makes you jaded and bored.

[saxitoxin]

Tek Nath Rizal, who was a member of the government of "happiest country" Bhutan before he exposed an ethnic cleansing incident, spent 10 years in one of the King's dungeons until he escaped in the mid '90's and fled to Nepal. For six months of his confinement he was shackled naked in his cell as a guard would point a rifle at him through a hole in the door 24 hours a day. This eventually drove him into insanity as he never knew if he might be shot and killed at any moment if orders came from the Palace. This was on top of all the usual - electrodes on the scrot, etc., in the #8 Happiest Nation in the World.

These are the kind of elaborately staged photos you get out of Bhutan. The brutal torture-crazed tyrant portrayed as a playful, shy, Buddhist king with his smiling, tranquil consorts, here happily palling around with the U.S. Ambassador (who actually runs the country) ...

[Phatscotty]

All hail Denmark, the happiest country in the world and the last best hope for mankind on earth.

People must flock to Denmark

[Army of GOD]

I thought everyone in Denmark was depressed. It's cold and dark.

[TA1LGUNN3R]

I'm pretty sure that if I were rich, I'd be as happy as a pig in slop.

-TG

[BigBallinStalin]

Countries with highest GDP according to wikipedia:

1. Qatar
2. Luxembourg
3. Singapore
4. Norway
5. Brunei
6. United States
7. United Arab Emirates
8. Switzerland
9. Netherlands
10. Austria

Honestly, I expected a stronger correlation. You can say that money doesn't equal happiness, but all the same..

?

GDP isn't money, neither is GDP per capita.

It's the value of all final goods and services produced within a country in one year. That's it.


If the government spends an additional $200 billion per year on the armed forces, and if we were to use GDP and your logic, then this additional spending somehow means that more people have more money. It doesn't. GDP is useful for comparative analysis on the growth and size of an economy, but it's not good for saying "ah, they have this much money."

[Army of GOD]

Countries with highest GDP according to wikipedia:

1. Qatar
2. Luxembourg
3. Singapore
4. Norway
5. Brunei
6. United States
7. United Arab Emirates
8. Switzerland
9. Netherlands
10. Austria

Honestly, I expected a stronger correlation. You can say that money doesn't equal happiness, but all the same..

?

GDP isn't money, neither is GDP per capita.

It's the value of all final goods and services produced within a country in one year. That's it.


If the government spends an additional $200 billion per year on the armed forces, and if we were to use GDP and your logic, then this additional spending somehow means that more people have more money. It doesn't. GDP is useful for comparative analysis on the growth and size of an economy, but it's not good for saying "ah, they have this much money."

f*ck off. You're just not as enlightened as ManBoogaloo is.

[DiM]

1 - Denmark
2 - Switzerland
3 - Austria

top countries by suicide rate:

Switzerland - 16th
Austria - 24th
Denmark - 35th

hmm. i would have expected less suicides in the world's happiest 3 countries.

[huamulan]

People don't necessarily kill themselves because they're unhappy and stay alive because they're happy.

Also, individual countries report their suicide rates using wildly different standards. Some authorities put a lot of pressure on coroners to avoid reporting suicide. The happiness survey was carried out by the same organization in each country.

[nietzsche]

I thought everyone in Denmark was depressed. It's cold and dark.

So is your sister vagina.

[john9blue]

maybe i should move to denmark, that ought to drop it down a few places on the list

[nietzsche]

maybe i should move to denmark, that ought to drop it down a few places on the list

so should aog's sister's vagina

[john9blue]

I thought everyone in Denmark was depressed. It's cold and dark.

So is your sister vagina.

maybe i should move to denmark, that ought to drop it down a few places on the list

so should aog's sister's vagina

sounds like you learned about AOG's sister the "hard" way.

[Lootifer]

Interesting Iceland is so high, dontchathink?

[Army of GOD]

Where's Japan on the happiness list? They have the highest suicide rate, but I think that's because of the Samurai's high rate of hara-kiri.

[DiM]

The happiness survey was carried out by the same organization in each country.

lol. the happiness survey

surely happiness is more than life expectancy and GDP per capita

first of all gdp per capita doesn't mean how much money people have in their pockets. a high gdp doesn't necesarily mean a high standard of life.
and second, a long life doesn't mean a happy life either.

[thegreekdog]

I thought everyone in Denmark was depressed. It's cold and dark.

That would have been my impression of Canada.

I always thought that Brazilians and Argentinians would be happier - what with the warm weather and sexy, curvaceous women.

[Falkomagno]

I recall one of those polls stated that Colombia was the second happiest planet on earth.

That caused a weird national discussion, since for a lot of people is just unthinkable that we can be that much happy with all the problems of violence and poverty and so on. Then later on came this poll, and everyone seems satisfied to see countries like Denmark and Switzerland on top, since it corresponds with the common mentality of developed societies where everything seems to work just fine.

I disagree with that position since, in fact, I’ve traveled across several countries, with different economies, and even if I acknowledge that some western European countries are indeed more organized and the kind of problems there are less tragic than the ones in Latin American countries, I could see as well how people in this warm part of the world at least “seemed” more happy than people from northern countries in its daily life. People goes through life in a simplistic way, the interrelation with others is much more friendly and warm. Also more passionate, and therefore the violence is more common as well.

I think Latin-American people are much more passionate about life than people in other continents, as subjective and simplistic that point of view can be.

Also I think there is a correlation between climate and happines and crime rates.

[saxitoxin]

I think Latin-American people are much more passionate about life than people in other continents, as subjective and simplistic that point of view can be. Also I think there is a correlation between climate and happines and crime rates.

+50 SaxBucks for Falko