Last year I was a bridesmaid at my best friend’s wedding in Finland. It was a sunny day in a picturesque setting near the groom’s hometown, and a fitting destination for such a happy occasion: the country has topped the World Happiness Report for nine years running. (By comparison, English-speaking countries are increasingly miserable.)
Finland’s dominance owes something to how the UN-backed report measures happiness. Finns, as the groom explained to me, are reserved people, often found in the quiet solitude of their mökki (cottages). But when asked to score their lives out of ten, they give themselves a solid 7.76 on average—comfortably the highest score in the world. Like a good marriage, happiness need not be showy.
The middle-aged are no longer the most miserable
How much happiness does money buy?
The world has become surprisingly less grumpy
Popular music is getting sadder and angstier