Who's Happy And Why?

There is an avalanche of new research in the areas of success and happiness. Perhaps the leading light in this field is Dr. Martin Seligman, a University of Pennsylvania research psychologist, who has boiled down true happiness to three components: pleasure (things that feel good), involvement (being immersed in things like family, work, and hobbies), and meaning (using personal strengths to serve a larger end).

Of the three, Seligman says, pleasure (the one most closely linked to material gain) is the least consequential, a finding that has been reaffirmed in numerous follow-up studies worldwide. For example, studies by Dr. Ruut Veenhoven, a sociologist at Erasmus University in Rotterdam, show that the extremely poor -- those earning less than $10,000 a year -- may be rendered unhappy by the relentless stress of poverty. Yet his work shows that after a poor person's income exceeds that level there is no further correlation between money and happiness. After a certain level of income, typically enough to meet basic expenses, money ceases to be a factor.

Money and happiness, it seems, really do not go hand in hand -- at least not in the manner you would expect. The World Database of Happiness presents one of the most interesting examinations into whether or not money buys happiness. This database is an ongoing register of scientific research on the subjective enjoyment of life. The scores are based on responses to a question about satisfaction with life and perceptions of personal well-being, the answers to which were rated on a numerical scale ranging from dissatisfied to satisfied. Rating scales ranged from 0 to 10.

As you can see from the following list, when you place each country's GDP per capita (in current U.S. dollars), there is not very much correlation between how much money people make and how happy they feel. For example, Guatemalans have the same happiness score as Canadians, although their income is only one-eighth as much. What does tend to reliably correlate with happiness is the quality of relationships with family and friends and a personal sense of belonging to one's community.

Ranking	Country	Score	National GDP Per Capita
1	Denmark	8.2	$37,400
2	Colombia	8.1	$6,700
3	Switzerland	8.1	$41,100
4	Austria	8.0	$38,400
5	Iceland	7.8	$38,800
6	Australia	7.7	$36,300
7	Finland	7.7	$35,300
8	Sweden	7.7	$36,500
9	Canada	7.6	$38,400
10	Guatemala	7.6	$4,700
11	Ireland	7.6	$43,100
12	Luxembourg	7.6	$80,500
13	Mexico	7.6	$12,800
14	Norway	7.6	$53,000
15	Netherlands	7.5	$38,500
16	Malta	7.5	$22,900
17	United States	7.4	$45,800
18	Belgium	7.3	$35,300
19	El Salvador	7.2	$5,800
20	New Zealand	7.2	$26,400
21	Germany	7.2	$34,200
22	United Kingdom	7.1	$35,100
23	Honduras	7.1	$4,100
24	Kuwait	7.0	$39,300
25	Saudi Arabia	7.0	$23,200
26	Cyprus	6.9	$27,400
27	Italy	6.9	$30,400
28	Spain	6.9	$30,100
29	Argentina	6.8	$13,300
30	Brazil	6.8	$9,700
31	Dominican Republic	6.8	$7,000
32	Singapore	6.8	$49,700
33	Venezuela	6.8	$12,200
34	Chile	6.7	$13,900
35	Israel	6.7	$25,800
36	Slovenia	6.7	$27,200
37	Uruguay	6.7	$11,600
38	Indonesia	6.6	$3,700
39	France	6.5	$33,200
40	Czech Republic	6.4	$24,200
41	Greece	6.4	$29,200
42	Nigeria	6.4	$2,000
43	Philippines	6.4	$3,400
44	China	6.3	$5,300
45	India	6.2	$2,700
46	Japan	6.2	$33,600
47	Taiwan	6.2	$30,100
48	Uzbekistan	6.2	$2,300
49	Kyrgyzstan	6.1	$2,000
50	Vietnam	6.1	$2,600
51	Iran	6.0	$10,600
52	Peru	6.0	$7,800
53	Portugal	6.0	$21,700
54	Croatia	5.9	$15,500
55	Poland	5.9	$16,300
56	Bolivia	5.8	$4,000
57	Korea, South	5.8	$24,800
58	Bangladesh	5.7	$1,300
59	Senegal	5.7	$1,700
60	Hungary	5.6	$19,000
61	Morocco	5.6	$4,100
62	Montenegro	5.5	$3,800
63	Slovakia	5.5	$20,300
64	South Africa	5.5	$9,800
65	Lebanon	5.3	$11,300
66	Algeria	5.2	$6,500
67	Jordan	5.2	$4,900
68	Kenya	5.2	$1,700
69	Turkey	5.2	$12,900
70	Bosnia/Herzegovina	5.1	$7,000
71	Estonia	5.1	$21,100
72	Serbia	5.1	$10,400
73	Uganda	5.1	$900
74	Romania	5.0	$11,400
75	Azerbaijan	4.9	$7,700
76	Macedonia	4.9	$8,500
77	Mali	4.9	$1,000
78	Egypt	4.8	$5,500
79	Ghana	4.8	$1,400
80	Iraq	4.7	$3,600
81	Latvia	4.7	$17,400
82	Lithuania	4.6	$17,700
83	Albania	4.4	$6,300
84	Angola	4.4	$5,600
85	Russia	4.4	$14,700
86	Pakistan	4.3	$2,600
87	Bulgaria	4.2	$11,300
88	Georgia	4.1	$4,700
89	Belarus	4.0	$10,900
90	Armenia	3.7	$4,900
91	Ukraine	3.6	$6,900
92	Moldova	3.5	$2,900
93	Zimbabwe	3.3	$200
94	Tanzania	3.2	$1,300

Consider this: in surveys such as this one, the impoverished people of Calcutta, India, living in crude shacks and with little access to clean water, register about even with Americans on the happiness scale -- and well ahead of the Chinese, South Koreans, and Japanese. Meanwhile, relatively poor Puerto Ricans and Columbians, appear to be among the happiest people on the globe.

But underlying these thought-provoking results is the simple fact that more is not necessarily better when it comes to enjoying life and feeling satisfied. More may be more, but it is never enough. We're caught up in the myth that by achieving and going up the ladder and having more stuff we'll feel full inside. Yet it isn't so.

Some years ago I was helping Jimmy Carter gather his thoughts for his book Virtues of Aging, and at one point I said to him, "President Carter, I have a crazy question for you. I'm about the age now that you were when you were president. Have you come to any new perspectives about what matters in life, now that you're older?" His answer was to the point: "Earlier in my life I thought the things that mattered were the things that you could see, like your car, your house, your wealth, your property, your office. But as I've grown older I've become convinced that the things that matter most are the things that you can't see -- the love you share with others, your inner purpose, your comfort with who you are."

So here's the thing. At the end of the day, it may be wisest to judge each of our own life successes not from the outside looking in but from the inside out. It's not about the material things I can show the world, but about how I feel about the work I do; it's about the relationships I have and the love I share.

It may well be, as novelist Edith Wharton said, that "if only we'd stop trying to be happy we'd have a pretty good time."

Adapted from With Purpose: Going From Success to Significance in Work and Life by Ken Dychtwald Ph.D. and Daniel J. Kadlec (Collins Life 3/09).

Ken Dychtwald, Ph.D. is a psychologist, gerontologist and author of sixteen books on aging, life transitions, and retirement-related issues including Age Wave, The Power Years, and his new book, With Purpose: Going from Success to Significance in Work and Life (with Daniel J. Kadlec, Collins Life; 3/09). The founding CEO of Age Wave, he lives with his wife and children in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Comments

[splott]

Ghana - 79th? I don't believe it! Given the criteria, I would have thought top 10.

Maybe they are unhappy that USAians always spell Colombian incorrectly.

[kwinyan]

Could it be significant that at least seven of the top ten coutries-- Denmark, Switzerland, Austrai, Iceland, Finland, and Canada have generally larger safety nets than the US along with universal health coverage? Maybe when people have greater security, there's also increased happiness.

[Ken Dychtwald Ph.D. - Huffpost Blogger]

Thanks kwinyan,

This is a very interesting observation....I'm inclined to view the issue as having more to do with cultures that are less likely to emphasize non-stop material consumption and forever making heroes/celebrities out of rich people rather than all sorts of other merits). However, your point is well worth thinking about some more. I wonder if other folks have views on this?
All the best - and thanks for reading my blog.
Ken

[ModernTimes1]

re."forever making heroes/celebrities out of rich people"
It is highly doubtful this has to do with anything. I assure you Ken, celebrity culture is alive and well in Europe.

[lmvd3]

I noticed the same thing, and I very much doubt it is a coincidence.

[ModernTimes1]

Yet, splott your observation fails to account for the top 20 placement of El Salvador, Mexico,Colombia, Guatemala and United States, countries with a fairly thin social safety net.

In some countries people are happy because they live in successful and prosperous countries free of chaos and turbulence. Europeans have lived for decades under American military umbrella. This allowed them to dedicate their resources toward education, health care and infrastructure. Of course very high taxes helped, as well as lower levels of public corruption.

In other states happiness level is high because of cultural closely knit communities which allow for lessen alienation from other human beings.

[dustinbrookyln]

hard to take this list seriously when
A. Thailand is completely missing from it
B. Iraq is higher than, well, just about any other place

[beauwulff]

I get Denmark, but France is a surprise. What happened to joie de vivre?

[Khirad]

They also gave us the words ennui and malaise. Personally, I was surprised Germany was so high! Then again, when you never set your bar too high...

Stereotypes are fun. Empirically useless, but fun nonetheless.

[GrainOSand]

Thanks.

[jeanneyogini]

I have noticed both spiritual and material wealth can contribute to happiness, but it is the spiritual content of life that is the basis of LASTING happiness. I love it when I am meditating and am so absorbed in transcendental bliss, the world ceases to exist. But when I come out of meditation I am more there for those around me. I don't have to chase after material gain or money to the extent of getting exhausted or forgetting friends and family. Daily meditation is an investment happiness that one share with the world.

[voodoomonkey]

jeanne yogini, you've got it so exactly right! real and lasting happiness doesn't come from externals. everything outside oneself comes and goes, and any happiness that is dependent on those values will also be fleeting. it's a cliche to say 'happiness comes form within,' but nevertheless, it's totally true. you've just got to have a way to get to that place within where happiness resides, 'sat chit ananda' it's called in the Vedic texts: never-changing bliss consciousness. and this inner reality is not disconnected from the real world of day-to-day life, but provides a basis for being more truly in the world and giving to it.

did you mean to say, "Daily meditation is an investment in happiness that one shares with the world' ? that's the ticket, baby!

[ModernTimes1]

"it is the spiritual content of life that is the basis of LASTING happiness."
I agree with you. But only to a certain extent.
It was precisely this preoccupation with spiritual at the expense of corporal that made Medieval Christianity such a toxic brew.
Don't ignore the body, choose The Middle Way.

[brianadler]

I wouldn't have guessed that Columbians score so high in happiness. Reading this article makes me very curious to learn more about their culture.

[cinemaven]

I'm constantly being described by friends as "nauseatingly happy". At this moment, we're making the lowest income we've made in our 29 years of marriage and I'm as happy and content as I've ever been. I'm beyond blessed with the riches that matter, I have an amazing husband and children, I have an awesome extended family and I have great friends. My husband was laid off from his automotive job in Dec. and I only work part time and yet we feel like we're doing well. I shop every morning for the 1/2 price items at the grocery store that I wouldn't have looked at before and we're actually eating much better than we did when we were both working.

I think one of the best ways to be a happy person who appreciates your many blessings is to volunteer. I volunteer at our local homeless shelter and food bank giving lessons on using the computer for business. I' ve gained so much more from the few hours a week I'm there than I could ever give. It's so rewarding and it really plugs you in to your community.

[jazzyfizzle]

I feel that a lot of the above countries mentioned have strong family ties and values. It doesn't suprise me in the least bit that these countries made the list.. We here in America and other civilized countries spend way to much time on focusing on unhealthy habits. Also as stated below we are programmed to work harder, make more money, get the newest and best especially for our children who in turn we are teaching them this same bad habit. The people in poorer countries are happy because they rely on their immediate and extended families to survive, eat and entertain.. and they live there life based on the basic things.. we should all take note.

[Glamorosa]

Hi

My happiest moments is when I am being of service to a volunteer organisation, when I am with true friends or just walking in the park on a beautifull sunny day.

I have had money and have had a lot of outer gifts and the only memories that stay with me are the ones of family, good friends and being able to share the true essence of myself with others.

I have travelled extensively and remember being in Siberia where a very poor family shared a meal with me.

Wealth is really what you can live without!

[Ken Dychtwald Ph.D. - Huffpost Blogger]

Hi Glamorosa,
Thanks for your thoughtful comments....and for sharing your insights. Why do you think that we Americans have gotten so sidetracked??
All the best,
Ken

[Robin O'Connor]

People who have "time" report being happier and more satisfied than people who have "material wealth." And when our time is spent socializing, and even more so spent helping someone or some cause, we feel even happier because we believe our lives have more meaning.

In our individual ways, most of us think about why we are here, what is our purpose. Surely it can't be to keep getting more and more stuff until we don't even know where to put our stuff.

All the above, of course, applies to those of us lucky enough to not have to worry about at least a minimal level of food, shelter, safety...the real essentials.

[Cecilia Hayford]

People who have the blessings of health without having to pay for them easily forget how many people don't. I am not surprised that most of the countries near the top of the chart have national health care, given the amount of money, time, and stress it takes even to get insurance coverage in the US if you have a chronic illness. Maybe you can live without wealth when you are healthy, but without universal health care, most of us can't live without it forever.

[barriosbabe]

130 million people in South Asia are very hungry right now.

Do we have a right to sit around analyzing the nuances of our "happiness"?

Sorry to be a cliche'. :-(

[Ken Dychtwald Ph.D. - Huffpost Blogger]

Yes - I definitely believe we have a "right" to analyze happiness. And I would add that we have a moral obligation to try to help those who haven't been as privelged as we have. Wouldn't you agree?
All the best,
Ken

[Cosmic-Zantor]

Yes.

[brianadler]

Happier people are less self-absorbed, narcissistic etc. If we discover the causes of genuine happiness (and emulate them) as a society, we are much more likely to become better neighbors to people struggling to survive both here and abroad.

[Cecilia Hayford]

Would sitting around being miserable help them, or anyone? If you're really concerned, why not go work on getting contraceptives wo women in developing countries so there are fewer mouths to feed?

[barriosbabe]

Interesting article.

The important issue you FAILED to address is the issue of problems, which problems, how viewed, how addressed (fatalism, religion etc) - now THAT would be interesting.

Let me give you a specific example:

In one of my jobs I work regularly with people that have serious problems that cannot really be dealt with by resources or money: stabilized chronic pain, a transient relative with criminal activities and so forth.

How do these different cultures view real problems?

It's part of life, resignation, prayer, tap into your village - what??

[Ken Dychtwald Ph.D. - Huffpost Blogger]

Dear barriosbabe,
Excellent points! I would love for you to say more about how people deal with "real problems" and how they correlates with happiness. Please blog some more thoughts about this. I'm interested in what you have to say.

All the best,
Ken

[brianadler]

Ken,

You're doing it wrong. You're supposed to be argumentative and dismissive. Don't you know internet protocol? ;)

BTW I remember reading your work when I was in school (body-centered psychology). It's nice to see you contributing here!

[tsanders726]

It's always the people who have money, or at least no issues paying their bills that talk about this kind of stuff.
Sorry.... but it's hard to be truly happy when you're wondering whether you can make the car payment, pay your utilities and still have gas and grocery money. I live alone and I'm not financially responsible for anyone but myself. At any time, I could lose my job and then become homeless in a very short time period. I don't make enough money to have much savings, and in fact, went through the bulk of my saving 2 years ago when I was laid off for 4 months.
Money may not buy happiness, but it can buy contentment and a certain sense of security, and sometimes that's more important.

[barriosbabe]

I sympathize with your situation, been there myself and may again who knows when. But have you ever thought about your ground network? Don't laugh. People traditionally who really put themselves out there for their network (Quakers, Asians, Rotary) in other words who have built a supportive "family" often do not fear things like going homeless.

Thought about it?

It's so sad that we live in such an isolating culture.

[brianadler]

Yes, community connection really makes a difference!

[brianadler]

I disagree. I lived here www.twinoaks.org for over a year. I've never been poorer financially. But living there, I realized happiness truly isn't that highly determined by financial wealth. Even now, my income is very low (probably lower than anyone else in this conversation). So I can say with confidence there is nothing like a 1:1 correlation btw money and happiness. Lack of money is a stressor for sure (but so can having it be). It really is our thoughts about our circumstances rather than the circumstances that determine happiness (in my subjective experience).

[Cecilia Hayford]

Talk to someone with severe depression or untreatable chronic pain, then say that last sentence again with a straight face.

[JWAggie]

Of course there are a huge number of factors that go into one's evaluation of his/her happiness with life. There is also undoubtedly huge variance within each of the listed countries, and a great deal of variance in these variances (i.e. levels of inequality in happiness). I'm surprised however, that the author focuses multiple times on the small effect of GDP per capita on overall happiness. The two variables are highly correlated (r=0.613), meaning that GDP per capita ALONE explains nearly 40% of the variance in average happiness. Of course, it is impossible to know if there is direct causation or other factors influence both happiness and GDP, but it's not hard to imagine that living in a country with low mortality risks, better health, better security, etc., would increase happiness.

[Ken Dychtwald Ph.D. - Huffpost Blogger]

Dear JWAggie,

Thanks for your thoughtful analysis. Whle it's true that there are definitely correlations between money and happiness, country by country, there's enough variance to have made me scratch my head - when I first examined this study. And, as a result of the financial "reckoning" of this past year, I think its a good thing for all of us to stop and consider what really matters in life. Don't you?
All the best,
Ken

[Robin O'Connor]

Thank you for your article. It is certainly generating a lot of thought, and all of us who have been participating are likely to even more than before "stop and consider what really matters in life."

[Cecilia Hayford]

That means 60% of happiness isn't about money. If 60% of the American people voted for anything, we'd consider it a landslide. If we can figure out how to affect the other 60% of happiness, we can do a lot.

[Cosmic-Zantor]

I quote the ever-accurate Bill Maher, from his latest episode of Real Time and one of his greatest monologues ever: "Do you ever wonder why you don't hear about loan sharks anymore? It's because what they did, giving credit to unqualified people and charging them ridiculous rates, we made that legal! Like we made destroying the environment legal. We do it all to each other. The killing, and the keeping people sick, and poor, and in jail, and destroying their habitat. Because a generation ago Ronald Reagan and Gordon Gecko told us "greed was good." Humans have always been greedy, but they'd never convinced themselves it was good. " - Bill Maher

This conservative ideology that greed is good, that we must always have more, that everything must be bigger, that the goal is more and more wealth, that anything that detracts from wealth (like taxing the super rich to pay for valuable and ethical social services like universal healthcare) is bad or "anti-freedom", these bizarre and unethical attitudes that have seeped into American culture, are the reasons behind what this article is talking about. I think people are finally starting to wake up though.