Various researchers and institutions around the world have been actively studying happiness for the last two decades. Understanding the factors that contribute to happiness has implications for individual well-being, mental health, and overall life satisfaction. But, understanding what influences happiness, can also inform government-led interventions and strategies to improve people’s quality of life.
Governments are increasingly interested in the level of happiness within their countries for several reasons:
1. Public Well-being: Governments aim to improve the quality of life for their citizens, and measuring happiness provides insights into the effectiveness of policies and initiatives in achieving this goal.
2. Social Stability: Content and satisfied citizens are generally more likely to contribute positively to their communities, fostering a stable and cohesive society.
3. Economic Productivity: Governments recognize that a content workforce is likely to contribute more effectively to economic growth and development.
4. Health Implications: Happiness is linked to better physical and mental health outcomes and since governments have an interest in promoting public health, understanding the factors influencing happiness can inform their policies.
5. Policy Effectiveness: By measuring happiness, governments can evaluate the success of their policies and interventions. It allows them to identify areas that require improvement and to tailor policies to better meet the needs and preferences of the population.
6. International Comparisons: Measuring happiness provides a basis for international comparisons. Governments can assess how their country’s happiness levels compare to others, leading to potential collaboration on best practices.
For example, by investing in and maintaining and public parks, governments can enhance their citizens’ happiness since access to nature has been linked to improved mental well-being, reduced stress levels, and increased overall life satisfaction.
International Day of Happiness
In 2013, the United Nations proclaimed March 20th, as International Day of Happiness as a way to recognise the importance of happiness in the lives of people around the world. Since then, more and more people have come to believe that the true success of a country should be judged by the happiness of its people.
There is also a growing consensus about how happiness should be measured, and that could mean that national happiness could one day become an operational objective for governments.
The World Happiness Report
Since 2012, both the UN and the OECD record progress of well-being, as well as the gross domestic product (GDP) as mesures of how a country is doing.
They publish the annual World Happiness Report, a study that looks at six key factors they consider to be the greatest influencers of people’s happiness: social support income, health, freedom, generosity and the absence of corruption.
Consistently, the five Nordic Countries, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Iceland have topped the list as the happiest countries in the world.In 2023, Canada ranks 13th—moving slightly up from 15th— among the 137 countries included in the report.
What makes them so happy?
Different theories are guiding various studies. For example, some theories believe it’s because they are small, homogenous, and wealthy. Several years ago, a research paper even suggested it was because Nordic people are genetically bound to be happier. But according to the World Happiness Report (WHR), such theories are inaccurate.
The World Happiness Report asks respondents to provide a broad “life evaluation” using the mental image of a ladder, with the best possible life for them as a 10 and the worst possible as a zero.
Data shows people are more satisfied with their lives in countries where government is able to deliver both democratic quality and delivery quality.
Delivery quality, ie. good pensions, generous parental leaves, maintenance for the ill and disabled, free health and education, solid unemployment benefits, etc. is the one more strongly related to citizen happiness, according to the WHR.
The more government institutional are successful at making inequality levels very low, the happier are the people because they feel they can trust their public institutions.
The secret sauce
The editor of the World Happiness Report, Professor John F. Helliwell, has been working on happiness surveys for 25 years and concludes that in order for other countries to emulate the success of the Nordic countries they need trust.
“The simple answer is to be high on all six key indicators in the World Happiness Report – GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity, and corruption (score low). But where the Nordics really shine is in trust and benevolence, both within their official institutions and their private behaviour”.
“We find people are much, much happier if they feel they’re in an environment where people are going to watch their back. And it’s really important to tell people that because they fail to understand all over the world how generous other people are,”
– John F. Helliwell.
One of the experiments they’ve developed to test and prove the importance of trust is by asking people if they thought their wallet would be returned if they lost it. The researchers compared how likely a respondent thought their lost wallet would be returned with their score of life satisfaction. The results showed that those who expected their wallet to be returned considered themselves to be happier than those who didn’t.
Simon Fraser University psychology professor Lara Aknin, who studies happiness, prosocial behavior and altruism and is one of the contributors to the report. She highlights that:
“ For a second year, we see that various forms of everyday kindness, such as helping a stranger, donating to charity, and volunteering, we’re above pre-pandemic levels.”
Aknin notes that those receiving assistance experience feelings of gratitude, which is consistently related to various well-being outcomes. These include positive affect, optimism and perceived closeness to others. Gratitude may also have positive impacts on health, such as improved sleep and inflammatory markers.
It’s encouraging that the study of happiness has gained attention in positive psychology, (a field that focuses on strengths and positive aspects of human experience). By exploring what makes people happy and fulfilled, researchers can provide a better understanding of the conditions that foster a satisfying and meaningful life.
Overall, the pursuit of happiness aligns with the broader goal of creating societies that are not only economically prosperous but also socially supportive and conducive to the well-being of their citizens.
