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[NEWS] Where is the happiest place in the world?


14 May 2010 - Mike Foster

So, where is the happiest place in the world?

'Supertrends', a new book by entrepreneur and author Lars Tvede, highlights why a well-run economy makes you happy, and what happens at the other end of the scale
If you want to stay happy as fear and loathing grip the markets, it is probably best to head down Costa Rica way. According to a happiness index compiled by Ruut Veenhoven of the Erasmus University of Rotterdam [ chttp://bit.ly/cstl6z ] , Costa Rica, in central America, was the world's most joyful country during the noughties with an average score of 8.5, against an average of 5.8.
According to a happiness index compiled by Ruut Veenhoven of the Erasmus University of Rotterdam [ chttp://bit.ly/cstl6z ] , Costa Rica, in central America, was the world's most joyful country during the noughties with an average score of 8.5, against an average of 5.8.
His findings draw on a range of surveys and opinion polls to reach its conclusions. Analysts put Costa Rica's number one position down to its government's shrewd stewardship of the economy - the country does not waste money on an army - as well as the environment [ http://bit.ly/cb6aKm ].
It goes without saying that economies which are well run or prosperous (preferably both) make their people happy. A new book called Supertrends by Lars Tvede points out: "The correlation with freedom is persistent. The more freedom you get, the more happiness."
To put it a different way, if you are not scratching around for the next meal, you have time to live a pleasant life, develop a hobby and find your place in the world, including a happy family life. Positive feelings which result from these pursuits are important because they reinforce euphoria which, for chemical reasons, is impossible to maintain over time.
At the opposite end of the scale, Tvede points out, there are no limits to the length of time you can stay depressed. The situation becomes pernicious in improverished countries of the world, where it is not hard to make ends meet and frustrating to see happy people on television. These would include Togo, Tanzania and Zimbabwe, ranked bottom for happiness, with a score of less than 2.8. War almost invariably pushes levels of happiness down: Afghanistan and Congo are ranked toward the bottom of the index. Luckless Somalia does not even appear.
Going back to the top, Denmark is ranked just below Costa Rica, with 8.3. According to the IMF, it is the only developed economy which does not need to make cut backs to achieve satisfactory finances, as a result of taking firm action to deal with the excesses of a real estate crunch in the early 1990s. Like Costa Rica, it embraces climate initiatives, including an array of wind farms.
Iceland, third with 8.2 became an unusually happy place in the noughties, as we all know, as a result of the credit boom. It is unlikely to sustain its rating in the near term, although fourth placed Canada is still pretty smug after avoiding the problems faced by its neighbour to the south: the feeling that you are better placed than your peers almost invariably boosts happiness. Switzerland, where Tvede lives, lies fifth.
For the record, the United States achieved a top quartile 7.4 in the noughties, just ahead of the UK with 7.1. There's a fair chance they will be slipping down the table this year, with China (6.3) set to overtake it. On the face of it, the number matters less than GDP growth, but it is worth bearing in mind that a bit of happiness tends to create rather more business opportunities than misery. It can also sustain recovery.

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