Denmark, with its democracy, social equality and peaceful atmosphere, is the happiest country in the world, say researchers.
Zimbabwe, torn by political and social strife, is the least happy, while the world’s richest nation, the United States, ranks 16th.
Overall, the world is getting happier, according to the U.S. government-funded World Values Survey, done regularly by a global network of social scientists.
It found increased happiness from 1981 to 2007 in 45 of 52 countries analyzed.
“I strongly suspect that there is a strong correlation between peace and happiness,” said Ronald Inglehart, a political scientist at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research, who directed the study.
And, said Ingelhart, there is a strong correlation between happiness and democracy.
So, why do we have a government working harder than ever at making us unhappy?
Damn Liberals and their desire to be happy.
Can’t these happy countries be more miserable like the USA? I think that we should start a program to eradicate happiness: The PATRIOT program:
Parties Are Too Raucus Inciting Overexposed Tatas
“…I strongly suspect that there is a strong correlation between peace and happiness…”
“So, why do we have a government working harder than ever at making us unhappy?”
To keep the Military-industrial complex healthy, well fed and employed.
The pursuit of happiness is not the same as being happy. I would rather have the freedom to pursue happiness than have it without. Acceptance of your situation is a rationale for being happy in some countries. Not accepting the situations or constraints that inhibit your pursuit is more desirable.
Interestingly enough, Denmark is so well supplied by wind power they actually export extra juice on good days to the rest of Europe. Maybe a modicum of energy independence can also make one happy?
3,
Yeah, those Danes just sit in their bad coveralls drinking Victory Gin all the time…
You just keep drinking your kool-aid.
#6 Pedro Amigo – That’s ok, he gave me a reach around with that stimulus check! I was able to put a down payment on a new bowling ball.
That Village People girl in front could be sort of hot if she didn’t have all that steel shit poked through her lip and tongue.
Yuck.
Only five more months to security and happiness in the good old USA. .. When our crazed leader is gone we can relax, our markets will go up as the fear he will start another war dissipates. .. Companies will begin hiring, the rich will start paying their fair share of the cost again. .. It will be wonderful, just like when Clinton was running things.
#8 Yah, what is it that attracts people to ugly, self mutilation?
#8 – Imagine what a night with that girl would be like, and compare it to a night with the “Church Lady”. I guess that ‘yuck’ becomes ‘yippeee’ real quick! (Unless you have a thing for unhappy uptight conservatives).
#11 – I imagine that a night with Officer Snap-On wouldn’t be all that much fun unless you like just sitting and watching two lesbe-friends doing it. The Church Lady might give you a better ride if you read scriptures while she’s doing you.
I can see why they are happy. Their tax rate is one of the highest in the world, and it is extremely expensive to live in Denmark.
What makes me unhappy is that the US government spent some of my tax money on this study.
The Danes and Dutch are nice folks.
I like Great Danes.
#8 – That fat chick next to her has a lower lip piercing as well. She probably got hers trying to staple her mouth shut.
“So, why do we have a government working harder than ever at making us unhappy?”
That’s simple, your goverment is working harder to make the 1% of the population on your country happy.
What REALLY makes the Danes happy ??? DANISH PORN !!! And it’s ready availability !!! Great TENSION RELIEF, and very low incidence of rape !!!
If a Canadian team could ever win the Stanley Cup again then Canada would rocket up to number one.
I’ll just bet that Denmark has a strict immigration policy that says you can’t live there unless you’re born there to someone else who was born there (both parents). Or you’re stinking rich. Otherwise all the unhappy people of the world would flood their borders and kill the whole “happiest place” rating. The New World use to be the happiest place on earth until the Puritans showed up.
I don’t know. I’ve always thought that New Zealand would be a nice place to retire to and die happier. I think we’d all like to kick the bucket in the most unspoiled of lands. Hanging on until the bitter end in a crampt US hospital seems so depressing.
Probably economic security has something to do with it. I’m one illness away from ending up homeless and I’m not happy.
You guys do understand that the economy will be all better the day BHO is elected in to office, right?
In other words, the media is playing shit up for the election. To deny this is to deny reality.
#25 – James Hill – You guys do understand that the economy will be all better the day BHO is elected in to office, right
Who says that? Bush has had 7.5 years to fuck up the country and its economy… it will take a while to fix. McSame isn’t the solution.
Dear Eideard,
if you are waiting for your government to make you happy than your life must be pretty empty.
I am sorry to say that, but I am not rich of the richest (not even close to be one of those), but I do not believe to social equality and not waiting for my government to make me happy. To make my life happy is my job, government’s job is to enforce the law and protect my country from foreign invaders and illegal aliens. That it is. I was born in country where government control every single aspect of my life and I did not like it. If you think that government is here to control and make you happy go to Cuba and ask average citizen of Cuba how happy their government makes them.