Rich people live in Switzerland, disciplined people live in Germany, healthy people live in Iceland. Where do the happiest people in the world live? We tried to find out this question and here's what we found.
Denmark
According to opinion polls in Denmark, 82% of the population feel completely satisfied and happy, only 17% experience problems, and only 1% of respondents suffer and are dissatisfied with life.
And there is an explanation for this: Danes receive free medical care, gender equality flourishes, and the state helps parents by extending paid parental leave. Plus, a favorable economic situation, a low level of corruption and a lack of natural disasters. And the Danish secret of happiness lies in small demands: the population of this country for the most part is satisfied with what they have.
Norway
In another northern European country almost 95% of the population claims to be happy. Why not? Norway has one of the highest GDP per capita per year. In addition, 74% of Norwegians trust other people and do not experience anxiety.
The level of inflation and unemployment in the country is very low, but the level of salaries is one of the highest in the world - for example, the average monthly salary is 3950 euros. Norway is safe: here you can safely walk the streets at night and back streets during the day. The local population breathes clean air and drinks tap water, goes in for sports and drives on quality roads. Why not heaven?
Costa Rica
Endless beaches, rosy sunsets, rainforests and gentle weather - this is Costa Rica. Pura vida (life is beautiful) is what the locals like to say. Still, here any person feels one with nature, and the local landscapes are so beautiful that it is simply impossible to get angry, sad or worried. This is probably why the average life expectancy in Costa Rica is 79.3 years.
And yet there is no army and polluted megacities, but there are many nature reserves and national parks, cozy villages and eco-farms. Thank you and only.
Vietnam
Among Asian countries, the highest world index of happiness (Happy Planet Index) is registered in Vietnam. Over the past decades, this country has made a huge leap in development and has become one of the most popular among tourists from all over the world.
Local residents are quite satisfied with their lives, so the overall level of satisfaction is quite high. And it's easy to see: the Vietnamese are friendly and open, they just don't know how to get angry!
Netherlands
The glory of the country of legal drugs, prostitutes and tulips has been fixed for Holland. And the Dutch themselves are not against such an image: more flow of adventurers, which means more money flow into the country. It is very clean here, and the local population will give odds to the Germans in pedantry and accuracy. Civil consciousness is high, everyone is responsible not only for himself, but also for his house, street and country.
High salaries and excellent working conditions, however, do not make the Dutch workaholics. They know how to find a balance between work and leisure, so the coefficient of life satisfaction here is 9 points out of 10 according to Bloomberg.com.
Canada
Canada is one of the happiest big countries. People here are realists, so they rarely complain about life. Still: incomes are stable and high, a reliable social component, long life expectancy and good ecology.
The degree of satisfaction increases with distance from large cities: for example, in Toronto, only a third of the population rated their level of happiness at 9-10 points, but in Sudbury (a small town in the province of Ontario), this is already 45% of the population.
Colombia
We know about this country only that there is excellent coffee. But there are other reasons for joy here: a warm climate, diverse nature, colorful national holidays. And although the local population does not live well, nevertheless, about 85% of the respondents experience a feeling of happiness here. Colombians are fatalists and love their country.
More recently, Colombia was considered not the quietest place on earth, but recently it has become quieter and calmer here. Tourism is developing, the social component is improving, and the government is strenuously fighting crime. Maybe soon Colombia will top the list of the happiest countries in the world?
New Zealand
Beautiful landscapes of New Zealand attract not only directors from Hollywood. People come here for a happy share - it’s not for nothing that in 2016 this country surpassed its neighbor Australia in terms of happiness.
New Zealanders feel protected; social support from the state is extremely developed here. In addition, the local population has been accustomed to an active lifestyle and sports since childhood, and therefore the average life expectancy is 83 years. And yet - the people of New Zealand are complacent and friendly towards each other.
Finland
And again the European North. This country is famous for one of the best education systems in the world. Teachers here are required to have a master's degree, and in schools they pay attention not so much to theory as to practice. No wonder the experts here have high level knowledge and equally high wages.
Another feature of Finland is the insignificant difference in the standard of living of the inhabitants, everyone is equal here. The low level of corruption in Finns, high-quality medical services, love of art - all the conditions for a happy life.
Sweden
And Sweden closes the top ten happiest countries. 88% of the local residents can say with confidence about their happiness.
This is a business paradise. There are many opportunities and conditions for entrepreneurs, so the number of start-ups and start-ups is very high. A prosperous and stable Swedish economy minimizes the risks of long-term investments. Sweden also has a high level of education and social security, excellent ecology and a low level of corruption.
This is what the top ten happiest countries in the world look like. And if you're still looking for a place to live, you can visit the places on the list and see what's what. But in fact, happiness does not depend on geography. Be free, active, enjoy life, and happiness will be with you anywhere in the world!
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Here are the most beautiful landscapes, blue rivers and free education. And the people are the most positive and friendly. Do you think this is a fairy tale? National Geographic according to the UN has compiled the top ten happiest countries, and we will tell you about them.
1. Sweden is one of the countries Northern Europe where the level of satisfaction with life is very high. The secret of the inhabitants of this country is in the Swedish tradition of fika (Fika), which means taking a break from work to drink coffee and discuss news and business with friends. Such a break lasts 15 minutes, and they arrange it every 2 hours. By the way, Sweden is one of the largest consumers of coffee.
2. Australia has a very low level of pollution and a high level of cohesion and sociability of the local people. And it's all about the love of barbecue. Australian parks often host paid or free barbecue picnics to hang out with friends and have fun. But if you don't have Australian friends, then a BBQ tour (BBQ and XXXX Brewery) is a great chance to make them. And visit breweries together and taste Australian meat dishes.
3. New Zealand. How can you not be happy when you are surrounded by blue mountains, wild nature and such fabulous views? Low pollution and the most diverse animal world make the people of this country truly happy.
4. Residents of the Netherlands are distinguished by high physical activity and love for cycling. They pride themselves on their 30,000 km long cycle paths for safe travel. Don't forget to rent a bike and hire a bike guide when you're in Amsterdam.
5. Canada. One of the largest countries in the world is a real paradise for travelers. The inhabitants of this country can boast of many beautiful national parks with rocky mountains and wide open spaces. Just look at these views - that's why they are so happy.
6. Finland. All worries and problems are instantly evaporated in a traditional Finnish sauna. Despite the small population of the country - only 5.2 million people, there are 3.3 million saunas in Finland, which are literally everywhere - from the shores of lakes to office buildings.
7. Norwegians are proud of the nature of their country and treat it very carefully. It is believed that climbing one of the highest mountains called Skala takes away all worries from a person. Almost anywhere in the country, wherever you want, you can put up a tent and enjoy the beauty of nature.
8. Iceland. Volcanoes, wild beaches, hot springs and gorgeous views - that's what makes the inhabitants of this country happy. And how can one not forget about everything in the world, lying in warm blue waters and contemplating such views.
9. A country with so many types of chocolate, by definition, cannot be unhappy. Residents here are only for a healthy lifestyle - they ski, kayak and paragliding. Therefore, Switzerland has the lowest percentage of obesity.
10. Denmark is considered the happiest country in the world. And not just like that, because education and healthcare are completely free. Residents are proud of their sense of unity: even if they do not know you, this does not mean at all that they will not invite you for a cup of tea.
Interesting studies were conducted by scientists - in which regions of Russia the inhabitants are happy, and in which they are unhappy. You see the results yourself. Happiness literally lives on Chechen soil.
27,000 people from 100 cities of the Russian Federation answered experts' questions about their satisfaction with material wealth, ecology, safety, development and the level of improvement of their city. Finally, the last question was formulated with discouraging frankness: Are you happy?
The study was conducted by the NewsEffector agency together with the Regions of Russia Foundation. The result is amazing (see table). As it turned out, the happiest Russians do not live in Moscow and other million-plus cities. Grozny, Tyumen, Kazan, Surgut, Krasnodar, Sochi, Nizhnevartovsk, Novorossiysk and Belgorod took the first lines of the rating. Moscow was only in 52nd place, St. Petersburg - 16th, Yekaterinburg - 49th, Novosibirsk - 13th.
Actually, Anton Semenovich Makarenko explained everything a long time ago: the true stimulus of human life is tomorrow's joy. Apparently, the "rich" Muscovites, who have great opportunities, just lack it. If your working day begins with stress in traffic jams, you breathe burning from 5 million exhaust pipes (being the unfortunate owner of one of them), and on TV you see mostly the details of either the mass death of children or the death of your favorite actress - this is happiness, to put it mildly, does not add. There is no clear prospect and hope that traffic jams will dissolve tomorrow, traffic accidents will stop, and air and food will ensure our health and longevity.
On the contrary, a sense of positive dynamics - a record 73% of respondents feel it - brought the capital of Chechnya to the first place. Well, why not, when every year your city is getting better and more comfortable. Well, at the same time, one should not discount the natural optimism and cheerfulness of this people.
Bratsk, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and Chita close the rating of happiness. Residents of Bratsk set a kind of sad national record: only 3% of respondents said that they were satisfied with the local environment. Sakhalin has a different problem: the people there are not satisfied with the dynamics of urban development, that is, in other words, the townspeople demand changes for the better from the authorities.
The most unusual picture beyond Baikal. Chita "failed" not a single indicator individually. For example, in Dagestan, Buryatia or the Chelyabinsk region, which have taken higher places, people are more dissatisfied with their financial situation. And the level of urban improvement of an outsider is quite comparable with such much more prosperous cities as Sochi, Pskov and Tver. But in general, the index of happiness in Chita is half that of Grozny.
But still. Look at the penultimate column - the one that indicates the percentage of those who feel happy. From 60 to 80%. This is how people think of themselves. And compare this with the results of research by analysts from the British research center New Economic Foundation. According to their data, Russia, with its sense of happiness, was in 122nd place out of 151 countries. Somewhere between Liberia, Zimbabwe and Congo on one side and Nigeria, Uganda and Burkina Faso on the other.
Recently, a study was conducted: in which country the happiest people live. According to polls, northern Europe was happier than southern Europe, and residents former USSR more often than others feel unhappy.
The World Value Survey Foundation conducted a study whose purpose was to identify countries where the happiest people live on Earth. To do this, a survey is conducted of people who answer two questions: "Do you think that, in general, you are very happy, fairly happy, not very happy, or not at all happy?" and "How satisfied are you overall with your life today?"
According to the results, it turned out that the happiest people in the world live in Denmark. Moreover, every year there are more and more Danes who are satisfied with their lives. The "formula of happiness" for the Danes is simple: low taxes and a high level of technical development. In addition, most of the citizens of "the happiest country in the world" are well educated.
But if you look below, it becomes clear that the Danish formula is not a recipe for happiness for everyone. Because in second place among the happiest countries is Puerto Rico. But if everything is more or less clear with Puerto Rico - this island belongs to the United States, then Colombia is in third place. How this country, in which there is a civil war, in which a high level of crime, in which the majority of the population is poor as a church mouse, got into the top three of the happiest is a mystery. It remains only to sin on the coca growing in these parts - there is no other explanation for Colombian happiness.
In fact, there are many such amazing moments in the list of the happiest countries that do not correspond to the established stereotypes about this world. So, El Salvador, located between Austria and Malta, opens the second ten. The United States comes only in 16th place: there people are not much happier than the inhabitants of Guatemala. And the people of Venezuela, led by the resilient Hugo Chavez, are happier than the people of Finland.
Azerbaijan is the last country with a positive happiness index. Opens the list of unfortunate countries - Macedonia. Of course, it is disturbing to live in a country when another country wants to rename your country.
Russia in this list got 88th place out of 97 possible. We are less happy than the people of Rwanda, Pakistan and Ethiopia. By the way, last year Esquire magazine provided a list of new English words, where the word "Russian" among the British is actually an analogue of the word "depressive". By the way, according to Russian polls, the citizens of our country simply glow with happiness. According to the VTsIOM poll, which featured the question of happiness, 77% of our fellow citizens consider themselves happy. Although there were some surprises here as well: residents of Moscow and St. Petersburg feel the worst, only 74% of them consider themselves happy people. Well, the most happy in our country are the inhabitants of the south, where 84% answered the question about happiness in the affirmative.
Researchers from the World Value Survey claim that every year the level of happiness around the world is only growing, but they are not able to explain this phenomenon. It is interesting that, on average, after 40 years, men feel happier than women, although before this age, the leaders of happiness are just the weaker sex. It is also known that the older a person becomes, the more often he considers himself happy. Can we conclude from this that it is men who become wiser with age?
| № | The country | Happiness index |
| 1 | Denmark | 4,24 |
| 2 | Puerto Rico | 4,21 |
| 3 | Colombia | 4,18 |
| 4 | Iceland | 4,15 |
| 5 | Northern Ireland | 4,13 |
| 6 | Ireland | 4,12 |
| 7 | Switzerland | 3,96 |
| 8 | Holland | 3,77 |
| 9 | Canada | 3,76 |
| 10 | Austria | 3,68 |
| 11 | Salvador | 3,67 |
| 12 | Malta | 3,61 |
| 13 | Luxembourg | 3,61 |
| 14 | Sweden | 3,58 |
| 15 | New Zealand | 3,57 |
| 16 | USA | 3,55 |
| 17 | Guatemala | 3,53 |
| 18 | Mexico | 3,52 |
| 19 | Norway | 3,5 |
| 20 | Belgium | 3,4 |
| 21 | United Kingdom | 3,39 |
| 22 | Australia | 3,26 |
| 23 | Venezuela | 3,25 |
| 24 | Trinidad | 3,25 |
| 25 | Finland | 3,24 |
| 26 | Saudi Arabia | 3,17 |
| 27 | Thailand | 3,02 |
| 28 | Cyprus | 2,96 |
| 29 | Nigeria | 2,82 |
| 30 | Brazil | 2,81 |
| 31 | Singapore | 2,72 |
| 32 | Argentina | 2,69 |
| 33 | Andorra | 2,64 |
| 34 | Malaysia | 2,61 |
| 35 | West Germany | 2,6 |
| 36 | Vietnam | 2,52 |
| 37 | France | 2,5 |
| 38 | Philippines | 2,47 |
| 39 | Uruguay | 2,43 |
| 40 | Indonesia | 2,37 |
| 41 | Chile | 2,34 |
| 42 | Dominican Republic | 2,29 |
| 43 | Japan | 2,24 |
| 44 | Spain | 2,16 |
| 45 | Israel | 2,08 |
| 46 | Italy | 2,06 |
| 47 | Portugal | 2,01 |
| 48 | Taiwan | 1,83 |
| 49 | East Germany | 1,78 |
| 50 | Slovenia | 1,77 |
| 51 | Ghana | 1,73 |
| 52 | Poland | 1,66 |
| 53 | Czech Republic | 1,66 |
| 54 | China | 1,64 |
| 55 | Mali | 1,62 |
| 56 | Kyrgyzstan | 1,59 |
| 57 | Jordan | 1,46 |
| 58 | Greece | 1,45 |
| 59 | South Africa | 1,39 |
| 60 | Turkey | 1,27 |
| 61 | Peru | 1,24 |
| 62 | South Korea | 1,23 |
| 63 | Hong Kong | 1,16 |
| 64 | Iran | 1,12 |
| 65 | Bangladesh | 1 |
| 66 | Bosnia | 0,94 |
| 67 | Croatia | 0,87 |
| 68 | Morocco | 0,87 |
| 69 | India | 0,85 |
| 70 | Uganda | 0,69 |
| 71 | Zambia | 0,68 |
| 72 | Algeria | 0,6 |
| 73 | Burkina Faso | 0,6 |
| 74 | Egypt | 0,52 |
| 75 | Slovakia | 0,41 |
| 76 | Hungary | 0,36 |
| 77 | Montenegro | 0,19 |
| 78 | Tanzania | 0,13 |
| 79 | Azerbaijan | 0,13 |
| 80 | Macedonia | -0.06 |
| 81 | Rwanda | -0.15 |
| 82 | Pakistan | -0.30 |
| 83 | Ethiopia | -0.30 |
| 84 | Estonia | -0.36 |
| 85 | Lithuania | -0.70 |
| 86 | Latvia | -0.75 |
| 87 | Romania | -0.88 |
| 88 | Russia | -1.01 |
| 89 | Georgia | -1.01 |
| 90 | Bulgaria | -1.09 |
| 91 | Iraq | -1.36 |
| 92 | Albania | -1.44 |
| 93 | Ukraine | -1.69 |
| 94 | Belarus | -1.74 |
| 95 | Moldova | -1.74 |
| 96 | Armenia | -1.80 |
| 97 | Zimbabwe | -1.92 |
Based on materials from Turist_ru.
Everyone, perhaps, will answer this complex and multifaceted question differently. And even the same person at different periods of his life and in different moods can give different definitions of this state. And all because it is deeply subjective.
Scientifically, happiness is defined as a state of satisfaction or a response to the satisfaction of a need. Everyone has different needs, so the concept of happiness is also different.
Based on a scientific definition, sociologists are constantly trying to find out which country has the most happy citizens. So where do the happiest people on Earth live, who are they? Do their worldviews, material factors, or something else determine their level of happiness?
How to measure happiness?
To determine the happiest place on earth, it is necessary to use a conditional measure of happiness. What is he?
Based on the scientific definition of happiness, you need to look for the happiest people on earth where the needs of people are most fully satisfied. As it turned out as a result of research, people have not so many needs, and they can be systematized into groups:
Social guarantees of the state;
The level of material well-being;
Environmental Safety;
life expectancy;
Freedom.
The happiest nations in the world according to international statistics
The latest research by international experts was conducted in 2017, using data on 155 countries for 2014-2016. So where do the happiest people in the world live, and by what criteria did sociologists determine this?
They assessed, among other things, the level of GDP, life expectancy, the feeling of support for the government and trust in it, as well as anxiety, anger, sadness and other negative feelings of the inhabitants of the country.
According to the results of these studies, the happiest people on earth live in Northern Europe. And Norway is named the happiest country. This state is in first place in the world in terms of the level of social services. Norway has the world's largest GDP per capita, as well as the world's most equitable financial distribution system. 95% of Norwegians are also satisfied with the level of freedom.
Last year, this country was only in fourth place. And the leading position was occupied by Denmark, and in the first place it turned out to be three times in a row.
Denmark is known for its rather strong family institution, strong bond between children and parents. The basic right of the citizens of this country is high-quality free medicine. Danes also prioritize gender equality.
The top five countries where the happiest people on earth live also include Iceland, Switzerland, and Finland.
In them, the standard of living of the population is quite high, there more people rich and healthy. But material well-being is far from the only indicator of happiness ...
Friendship and solidarity are the key to life satisfaction
As it turned out, in order to feel happy, it is important for people to feel the support of both the state and their countrymen.
In countries that are officially named the happiest, helping one's neighbor is "in the blood." It is believed that in the states where the happiest people on Earth live - Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Finland and Sweden - people feel satisfied with life thanks to an unspoken set of rules that governs life in a society that does not recognize the right to individualism - the so-called Law Jante. This "law" actually helps in creating a friendly and very close-knit society. Perhaps it is precisely this unity and sense of comradeship that is the main reason why people in the Nordic countries feel so happy?
Citizens also feel satisfied when they realize that their activities are needed by society. In other words, if the citizens of a country consider themselves an important link in its life, they feel a surge of enthusiasm and happiness. Participation in the life of the state, the true power of the people develop mutual trust in society, which is a component of social capital. And such capital is no less important than material capital.
Maintain a delicate balance
Material well-being, no doubt, is very important for a person to be comfortable and convenient. But this is far from the most important factor due to which you can feel happy. Even a very prosperous person, living in abundance, is extremely unhappy. And a resident of a poor country can feel absolutely happy just because the sun is shining and close people are nearby.
The accumulation of material wealth, according to the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, the Dalai Lama, can only achieve external happiness. But it will be fleeting without inner, spiritual happiness.
An unspiritual person loses the ability to perceive the world in all its versatility, and even having all the riches of the world, cannot feel happy. This feeling is available only to those who combine the spiritual and the material. Everyone must certainly take care of his body and its needs, but it must be treated as a receptacle for the soul. The Dalai Lama perceives the soul as a subtle matter that gives meaning to the physical existence of the body.
Only the one who manages to maintain this balance of spiritual and material can safely be called a happy person.
The happiest people on earth: who are they?
We already know about the happiest countries and peoples, but there are also individuals whom everyone calls the lucky ones.
Buddhist monk Matthew Rickard, officially known as the happiest man on earth, received this status as a result of a study whose purpose was to identify the effect of meditation on the brain.
Hundreds of people took part in the research, which was led by neurologist Richard Davidson. Magnetic resonance imaging has shown that Matthew's brain generates a level of gamma waves during meditation that has never been described by science before.
In Buddhist monk Matthew Ricard, a friend of the Dalai Lama, scientists also found high activity in the left cerebral cortex, which is responsible for a positive outlook on the world.
A man who has eight lives - isn't he lucky?
Known for his luck, which never left him, and Frano Selak from Croatia. This man was on the verge of death 7 times, but he always managed to deceive her. The first time it happened was in the 60s. Frano Selak was on a train that derailed and went under water. Since this catastrophe occurred in a freezing cold, the passengers had little chance of surviving. But this man managed to be among the few who survived.
A few years later, Frano Selak was again in mortal danger. The plane on which he was flying, during landing, touched the top of the mountain with his tail. The impact was so strong that the door opened. There were only two unbelted people on the plane at that moment: a pretty stewardess and a passenger who decided to hit on her and followed the girl to the tail section. This passenger was our hero. Through the opened door, both flew out when the plane was 600 meters from the ground. Frano's life when falling from such a height was saved by a large snowdrift, into which he landed. The girl also remained alive, clinging to a tree branch. A year later, these two were legally married and feel like the happiest people on earth.
Frano not only miraculously escaped death many times, but also won the lottery, as befits the favorite of fortune. And won neither more nor less - a million dollars! With this money, the happy Croat reconstructed the Temple, built the chapel of the Virgin Mary. The remaining dollars he spent on travel or simply distributed to relatives and friends. Frano is sure that at his age you should get maximum pleasure from money!
If smiles are taken as a criterion
If we make the opinions of the inhabitants of the countries themselves the criterion for measuring happiness, then we get a different picture from the official one. The happiest people on Earth, in their own opinion, live in the far from rich countries of Latin America: Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Ecuador, as well as in Asian states - Fiji, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam.
Interesting conclusions were drawn after analyzing 150 million photographs from the popular social network"Instagram". The criterion of life satisfaction analysts have made the number of smiles in the pictures.
Most often, Latin Americans smiled in the photo.
In Asia, the most smiling were the inhabitants of the Philippines, in second place in terms of smiles - the inhabitants of Kazakhstan. And the most gloomy in Asia are the Uzbeks.
In Europe, judging by the smiles in the photo, the people of Macedonia live the happiest of all, and the Romanians are not far behind them.
Happiness is in ourselves
Everyone wants happiness. But many, for unknown reasons, believe that happy people live somewhere far away, in rich countries. And dreaming of living in one of these happy states, they do not know how to find joy and satisfaction in the most important things that fill a person's life with meaning: in love, respect, support, creativity, spirituality. But it is from these components that happiness is formed ...