World Happiness Report 2012: Scandinavian Countries Are Happiest On Earth (SLIDESHOW)

Denmark has taken the top spot on the United Nation's first ever World Happiness Report, followed by Finland, Norway and the Netherlands.

The 158-page report, published by Columbia University's Earth Institute, was commissioned for the United Nations Conference on Happiness on Monday in order to "review the state of happiness in the world today and show how the new science of happiness explains personal and national variations in happiness."

The rankings in the report were based on a number called the "life evaluation score," a measurement which takes into account a variety of factors including people's health, family and job security as well as social factors like political freedom and government corruption. It also looks at measurements from previous reports on happiness from the Gallup World Poll (GWP), the World Values Survey (WVS), the European Values Survey (EVS), and the European Social Survey (ESS).

In the introduction to the report, co-editors John Helliwell, Richard Layard and Jeffrey Sachs explain that the report aims in part to evaluate happiness based on a more comprehensive measurement system that can be used to inform policy-makers. As the Atlantic explains, previous reports on happiness have linked personal contentment to income, but that correlation has been challenged in recent years by economists who have argued that the happiness of a nation is determined by far more than its Gross National Product.

"While basic living standards are essential for happiness, after the baseline has been met happiness varies more with the quality of human relationship than with income," the report read. "Policy goals should include high employment and high-quality work; a strong community with high levels of trust and respect, which government can influence through inclusive participatory policies; improved physical and mental health; support of family life; and a decent education for all."

Based on its "life evaluation score," which is rated on a scale of 0-to-10, the report found that Denmark, Norway, Finland and the Netherlands outstripped all other nations with an average score of 7.6 between them.

On the other end of the spectrum, Benin, Central African Republic, Togo and the Sierra Leone had an average life evaluation score of 3.4.

However, the fact that wealthier nations far outscore poor African nations like Togo and Sierre Leone would point to a flaw in the study's thesis, according to Forbes' Tim Worstall.

"That basic thesis is that economic growth doesn’t really improve happiness, we really ought to be worrying about human happiness and thus we should concentrate on things other than economic growth," Worstall wrote on Forbes' website. "The problem with this is that their own report shows that the absence of economic growth most definitely makes people unhappy: therefore we should indeed strive for economic growth in order to make people happy."

Check out a slideshow of the World Happiness Report results below:

• The 12 Happiest Countries In The World
• 12. Costa Rica
• 11. United States
• 10. Ireland
• 9. Australia
• 8. New Zealand
• 7. Sweden
• 6. Switzerland
• 5. Canada
• 4. Netherlands
• 3. Norway
• 2. Finland
• 1. Denmark

Comments

[Canuckphd]

09:18 AM on 05/29/2012

O Canada!! Who wouldn't be happy with not-for-profit healthcare coverage?

[Patricia Caya]

10:55 AM on 05/20/2012

Why the crappy photo of Finland? Looks like some desolate polluted industrial pit - weird choice of picture for sure.

[erikdlarson]

02:20 PM on 04/18/2012

The headline doesn't reflect the report in the way most would assume. The unhappy but productive Finland picture is a telltale.

This isn't a list of happy countries. It's ranked by how people evaluated their quality of life...yet I know lots of unhappy people with high quality of life...hmmm.

Isn't a happy place a place where people feel happy? The report has two such lists.

One is ranked by how people remember feeling yesterday - a VERY different list that reflects the gut judgment in many comments. The twelve "happiest yesterday" are Ireland, Thailand, New Zealand, Canada, Iceland, US, Philippines, Austria, Panama, UK, Australia, Germany. While happy Finland is lucky #13 on that list, Norway is in the mid-60s between Mauritius and Djibouti, and Denmark is in the bottom third between Rwanda and Albania.

There's another list of how happy people felt in the moment. Here it is: Iceland, Ireland, Costa Rica, Canada, New Zealand, Laos, Panama, Thailand, El Salvador, US, Paraquay, Argentina - go Canada and USA, you made all three! Also, this list shows no statistical difference in the happiness of people in #16 Netherlands and #32 Trinidad, nor between #48 Finland and #64 Mali.

The report explains why these lists are less prominent. First, feelings of happiness do not vary as much by country. Second, the variations in feelings of happiness do not correlate as strongly with political or economic situations. In other words, not much to argue about.

[Hoodooman]

02:17 PM on 04/17/2012

So much for institutions of higher learning.

[freddsky]

10:40 AM on 04/15/2012

Happiness isn't everything.
Don't take away our caffeine.
Don't take away our body shame.
Scandinavia is full. Of Scandinavians.

[freyja10]

11:52 AM on 04/11/2012

Absolutely wrong! First of all they don't have democracy,Denmark,Sweden,Netherland and Norway have Constitutional Monarchy as a governmental form,and Sweden is the best example(may be the last) of how wonderful the Socialism is if applied properly on the Earth. In socialism government doesn't control the means of production, we "the people" do. Only in Communism government regulates everything included how many breaths you should take per day.Socialism and Communism thought the same, forever in our Country I know, but they are absolutely not! Read,compare and learn,please try not to misinform others.In the mean time there was nothing wrong with Capitalist Democracy in our Country till ....you know.

[MightyObjectiveObserver]

06:31 PM on 04/11/2012

The monarchs are symbolic relics only, they hold very little real power which is in the hands of the parliament and the government appointed by the parliament.

[freyja10]

02:41 PM on 04/12/2012

Yes I never said not.So what?

[Daniel Patrick Astrand]

02:20 PM on 06/29/2012

There is no government in Communism. Like Marx did say several times, Communism is stateless: It is socialism with no government or industry. It is simply a primitivist form of Anarchy and Socialism mixed, like early human societies.

Sweden is not a socialist state, it is a centrist state. But, it's policies remain Europe's most left-wing. Along with Finland, Denmark and Austria.

In Communism, government is no longer needed, and it disappears. You are allowed to do anything, but you won't. Why? You've gone through socialism, and you have understood how great socialism is, and you have found your natural compassion, which makes you a socialist naturally.

[windwolf]

11:50 AM on 04/11/2012

The former income link to happiness is no doubt comes from our Capitalist sensibility. Now disproven, it reveals the ironic truth that happiness is most achieved in Socialist societies like those with the highest happiness quotients, the Scandinavian countries. So much for all the propagandist rhetoric flowing from the right side of the aisle, negating universal health care, and other social programs beneficial to the 99% of us, as being Socialist, or an attempt by the left side of the aisle to turn the US into a Socialist country. Sooo...what's so bad! Why shouldn't we, i.e., the 99% of us enjoy the same level of happiness, denied to us by the privileged 1%, as these Socialist countries enjoy?

[Koreboomer]

10:00 AM on 04/11/2012

Another victory for the concept of having a capitalist democracy with strong social safety nets. That's what these countries have. They are not "socialist," since government does not control the means of production.

[windwolf]

11:54 AM on 04/11/2012

I do not believe that government control of production is necessarily a criteria of Socialism. But a high degree of regulation is. By the way, we're no longer a democracy, and haven't been for some time. We're a tried and true Plutocracy, i.e., rule by the wealthy.

[Daniel Patrick Astrand]

02:25 PM on 06/29/2012

Not a capitalist democracy. The only country even close to capitalism is Somalia. This is mixed economy with social democracy. USA is a mixed economy without social democracy.

[MarcEdward]

09:21 AM on 04/11/2012

What is the criteria?
Seems like "m

[NearlyNormalWarren]

09:14 AM on 04/11/2012

It is not just that we in the U.S. are focused on money, but that for many the inability to pay the mortgage and the threat of losing your home has now become a major disrupting factor hanging over us. Even those with a good job live but a single pay check away from this threat and feel it's pressure.

I feel the need to quote the words of Drew Nelson, a wonderful folk/rock artist who often sings about working people ....

I built this house with my own two hands,
on the Northwest corner of some family land.
I know every brick and every nail
and I worked them both 'till I hurt like hell.
But the man from the bank came by today.
He said we have a week from Saturday,
Twenty-four years don't count for much,
just blows around like all this dust .... all this dust.

[shaunmarie]

08:33 AM on 04/11/2012

But... but... most of those countries are SOCIALIST! They have national health care! They have state mandated family leave! They have FREE college!

How can they be happier than us???? Don't they know they aren't FREE? That with that whole socialist safety net - they don't have LIBERTY?

[justjojo]

09:38 AM on 04/11/2012

Ha! You beat me to it! F&F! :-)

[naelli222]

10:05 AM on 04/11/2012

The countries above the US on the list have hardly any responsibilities. Their economy is near non-existent. They feed off of other countries. Also, they don't have wars. If they get in trouble, once again, they will be asking for help. Comparing these countries to the US is like apples and oranges.

[Hayduke1969]

10:45 AM on 04/11/2012

"They don't have any responsibilities"?? They do indeed: They're responsible to their citizens.

Whose fault is it that they don't have wars (or empire)? You act like they've done something wrong.

You write "if they get in trouble they will be asking for help". That's false. They don't have wars (ergo, they don't need help) because they have chosen not to create an empire. Don't blame them for making smart choices.

[shaunmarie]

11:19 AM on 04/11/2012

Where on earth do you learn the things that you think you "know"? The economy of Norway boasts one of the highest per capital GDP's in the world, they are heavily invested in energy production, and have an incredibly strong science sector. Furthermore, the per person standard of living puts almost every other modern economy to shame.

As to Europe's lack of military - two world wars seen close at hand makes Europe far more inclined to peace making. A lesson that should be learned by the US - but won't be as long as the carnage we wreak against other nations is continually kept from our eyes and as long as these wars are being fought by the children of the poor and dispossessed.

[Kathy Gottberg]

07:59 PM on 04/10/2012

Here's my hit on the World Happiness Report on my blog SMART Living 365. http://smartliving365.com/?p=1079#more-1079

[arkymorgan]

03:23 PM on 04/10/2012

Worstall completely misses the point.

It isn't that a certain level of material/economic well-being isn't important to happiness, it is that after a certain basic level of prosperity is achieved for the vast majority, happiness is dependant on things not measured by personal/individual wealth; that is, for most of us normal folks, our happiness increases when our friends and neighbors share equally in a comfortable and secure environment.

But that doesn't play well for the 1%, so, sure, go ahead and completely misread the study's conclusions here.

[NearlyNormalWarren]

09:03 AM on 04/11/2012

I don't know about your "misread" comment but this remark is pure gold, going to the nature of our souls -

"...for most of us normal folks, our happiness increases when our friends and neighbors share equally in a comfortable and secure environment."

[ninzilla]

11:48 AM on 04/11/2012

So beautifully stated..thanks.

[chicgogo]

02:54 PM on 04/10/2012

Most of the top ten are socialist democracies and have among the highest percentage of the population professing atheism in the world. Hmmm

[Xzavier2008]

03:54 PM on 04/10/2012

Good point...sad that bible thumping, do it my way or leave my country don't see that

[windwolf]

12:07 PM on 04/11/2012

I'm a spiritual person who believes in the presence of a higher power, but I don't see that belief in a higher power, and being religious as central to an individual's happiness. I do believe that feeling secure and safe in one's own home, community, and country, and having at least one's basic needs met, is perhaps more important criteria for being happy. If you were to have daily problems meeting your family's basic survival needs, including a roof over your heads, a job, etc. and can find happiness at the same time in praying to your God, or at least maintaining your belief in your God, I say God Bless!

[eilish]

02:10 PM on 04/10/2012

My stepson married a woman from Denmark that he met online. After living here for 5 years they've decided that they'd be happier in Denmark. Who knew? He's been ill without health care, so that's been a big factor.