Happiness: Where the happiest people live
January 13, 2008
What makes people happy? Good health, financial security and education — in that order. Where do the happiest people in the world live? Denmark.
Surprised Denmark ranks as the happiest place on earth?
As part of an ABC 20/20 special Denmark: The Happiest Place on Earth, news anchor Bill Weir visited Denmark to investigate the land of the most happy. Accompanied by Blue Zones longevity and happiness expert Dan Buettner, Weir reported that while Danes are one of the highest taxed people in the world at 50 to 70 percent of their incomes, they are also the most content. The Danish government spends more money on children and the elderly compared to all other countries in the world. All Danes have access to health care and education. According to the news report, people feel tryghed — the Danish word for tucked in — like a snug child.
Just as Maslow’s hierarchy of needs suggests, once basic needs have been met, a freedom to pursue the happiness of self actualization becomes a reality. Danes do not choose careers based on money or status. They choose jobs based on personal interest and a sense of meaningful work. A Danish prince is a carpenter, a garbage man feels like a king. In addition, Danes are not consumed by consumerism, although they have the financial means to shop. Shopping for the sake of keeping up with the Joneses simply does not appear to be a high priority.
According to the world map of happiness, the top 20 happiest places people live in are:
1. Denmark
2. Switzerland
3. Austria
4. Iceland
5. The Bahamas
6. Finland
7. Sweden
8. Bhutan
9. Brunei
10. Canada
11. Ireland
12. Luxembourg
13. Costa Rica
14. Malta
15. The Netherlands
16. Antigua and Barbuda
17. Malaysia
18. New Zealand
19. Norway
20. The Seychelles
The US ranked 23rd, and the UK ranked 41. The world of happiness map is based on a happiness index that measures overall satisfaction and feelings of well-being in all the major areas of one’s life. University of Leicester social psychologist Adrian White created the first ever world map of happiness based on data provided by UNESCO, the CIA, the New Economics Foundation, the WHO, the Veenhoven Database, the Latinbarometer, the Afrobarometer, and the UNHDR.
[Map credit: Adrian White, Analytic Social Psychologist, University of Leicester. The data used to construct the map were extracted from a meta-analysis published by the New Economics Foundation Marks, N. et al. (2006). The Happy Planet Index. London: New Economics Foundation]