Oh happy Danes
July 3rd 2008 18:42
Professor Ronald Inglehart, of the University of Michigan, has been conducting an annual study of global happiness since 1981. The latest survey results have just been published, revealing that Denmark, this year at least, is the happiest country in the world.
Prof Inglehart was reported as saying that, unlike other studies, which have focused on economic factors, his research has found that financial prosperity is not the only reason for happiness. "Personal freedom is even more important, and it's freedom in all kinds of ways. Political freedom, like with democracy and freedom of choice," he said.
This is not exactly breaking news, and it is not exactly precise language, but it is happy news in Denmark, and in Puerto Rico and Colombia, which came second and third in the latest Inglehart World Values Survey.
At the other end of the scale, Zimbabwe was found to be the least happy, with Russia and Iraq also in the bottom 10. The US was found to be the 16th happiest country, behind Switzerland, Canada and Sweden.
The home page of the survey, which describes itself as "The world's most comprehensive investigation of political and sociocultural change", can be found at (www.worldvaluesurvey.org).
Scientific study of happiness appears to be flourishing. We note that the BBC aired a six-part television special in 2006 entitled The Happiness Factor, which looked at research from around the world on the subject. The show suggested that our levels of happiness were largely pre-determined by our genes and our upbringing, varying slightly but always returning to our set point of happiness.
This doesn't quite sit with the Inglehart version of things, so we look forward to some spirited debate amongst the happiness experts.
Not that it's likely to make the citizens of Zimbabwe any happier.
Prof Inglehart was reported as saying that, unlike other studies, which have focused on economic factors, his research has found that financial prosperity is not the only reason for happiness. "Personal freedom is even more important, and it's freedom in all kinds of ways. Political freedom, like with democracy and freedom of choice," he said.
This is not exactly breaking news, and it is not exactly precise language, but it is happy news in Denmark, and in Puerto Rico and Colombia, which came second and third in the latest Inglehart World Values Survey.
At the other end of the scale, Zimbabwe was found to be the least happy, with Russia and Iraq also in the bottom 10. The US was found to be the 16th happiest country, behind Switzerland, Canada and Sweden.
The home page of the survey, which describes itself as "The world's most comprehensive investigation of political and sociocultural change", can be found at (www.worldvaluesurvey.org).
Scientific study of happiness appears to be flourishing. We note that the BBC aired a six-part television special in 2006 entitled The Happiness Factor, which looked at research from around the world on the subject. The show suggested that our levels of happiness were largely pre-determined by our genes and our upbringing, varying slightly but always returning to our set point of happiness.
This doesn't quite sit with the Inglehart version of things, so we look forward to some spirited debate amongst the happiness experts.
Not that it's likely to make the citizens of Zimbabwe any happier.
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