Indexing Happiness

Payton VeStrand, CFP®

The World Happiness Report captivates audiences worldwide by tackling a fascinating question: Can happiness be quantified, and if so, which country can claim the title of the happiest? The 2024 edition revealed several intriguing highlights worth exploring.

Before delving into the specific findings, let’s understand what the World Happiness Report is and how it attempts to measure happiness. This annual publication ranks countries based on the perceived well-being of their citizens, utilizing data gathered from the Gallup World Poll. The updated rankings are typically unveiled around March 20th to commemorate the International Day of Happiness.

The methodology behind these rankings is also worth exploring. Participants are asked to envision a ladder where the top rung (10) represents their ideal life, and the bottom rung (0) represents their worst imaginable life. With this metaphorical ladder in mind, respondents evaluate their current life satisfaction on this 0-10 scale. Each year, over 100,000 individuals across more than 140 countries participate in this survey.

One striking feature of the rankings is the dominance of the Nordic countries. Finland, Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden occupy the first four spots, while neighboring Norway takes the seventh spot. In contrast, the United States sits in 23rd place, falling out of the top 20 for the first time since the report’s inception in 2012 and trailing countries such as Kuwait (13), Lithuania (19), and Slovenia (21). On the other end of the spectrum, countries dealing with extreme poverty, government corruption, and conflict-related violence tend to occupy the lower rankings of the index.

This Nordic dominance is not a recent development; each of the five Nordic countries has consistently ranked in the top 10 since the rankings were first unveiled over a decade ago. This raises the question: what factors contribute to the perception among citizens of these countries that they are experiencing their ideal lives? Analysis conducted by the World Happiness Report suggests various reasons, such as low levels of income inequality, generous government assistance, and strong social cohesion.  

While we may not be able to single-handedly tackle systemic issues in our country, we can adopt straightforward strategies to improve our own happiness. For example, research has recently embraced daily gratitude practices as a way to enhance positive emotions, promote physical health, and even strengthen relationships and societal ties.

This practice can take many different forms, but a simple way to start is the “Three Good Things” exercise, where participants write down three things that went well in their day. These can be simple, common occurrences or milestone events, and can be especially powerful when completed before bedtime, when negative thoughts and anxieties often crowd out the small victories of the day.

This holiday season, when our focus is so often on what we don’t have, take time to reflect on the good that we do have. Who knows? We might just bump ourselves up a few spots on next year’s happiness index.

Originally published in West Knoxville Lifestyle.

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