As expected, Finland remains the happiest country in the world during the eighth consecutive year according to the annual happiness report made under the auspices of the UN and published this Thursday, March 20, which places the United States in its lowest ranking ever registered.
The United States fell in position 24, its worst score from the report of the report in 2012, where it had appeared in eleventh range, its best range.
Sharing your meals “is strongly linked to well -being,” write to the authors, noting that “the number of people alone in the United States has increased by 53% in the last two decades.”
More “Death due to despair” in the United States
In 2023, around one in four Americans said he had taken all his meals only the day before, according to the report. “The growing number of people who eat alone is one of the reasons for the decrease in well -being in the United States,” he said.
The United States is also one of the few countries that experiences an increase in “dose death” (suicide or consecutive to excessive alcohol absorption, drugs …) at a time when these deaths have fallen in most countries.
The report analyzes the behavior of populations around the world in 2022-2024 and, therefore, is not linked to disorders due to Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
The Nordic countries are classified among the happiest 10, Denmark, Iceland and Sweden, Finland, which has slightly dug the gap with Denmark, its dolphin.
Costa Rica and Mexico enter the 10 best
Meanwhile, Costa Rica and Mexico entered the top 10 for the first time, respectively in the sixth and tenth position.
Afghanistan, plagued by a humanitarian disaster since the Taliban regained control in 2021, once again has classified the most unhappy country in the world.
France arrives only in 33rd place, largely preceded by Switzerland (13th), Belgium (14) or Canada (18).
The classification of happiness is based on an average in three years of personal satisfaction evaluations in life, as well as in GDP per capita, social support, health expectation, freedom, generosity and corruption.
“It seems that the Finns are relatively satisfied with their lives,” Frank Martela, a professor specialized in research on well -being and happiness in Aalto and Aalto in Espoo, near Helsinki, at AFP.
This could be greatly explained by the fact that Finns live in a “company that works quite well,” he added.
“Democracy works well, we have free choices, freedom of expression and low levels of corruption” that contribute to “national well -being,” he continues.
Access to attention, unemployment subsidies, leave …
All Nordic countries have relatively solid social protection systems, with parental license, unemployment benefits and mostly universal medical attention.
Eveliina Ylitolonen, a 23 -year -old student in Helsinki, thinks that the consideration of the Finns for the beauty of nature explains the level of happiness of the country, known for their deep forests and more than 160,000 lakes. “Nature is an important element of this happiness,” said Ylitolonen to AFP.
Jamie Sarja-Lambert, a professional video game player left by the United Kingdom to settle in Finland, joins her in this observation.
“It seems that everyone is much more in contact with nature, classify and socialize more to form a community,” he told AFP.
In their report this year, the authors say they have a new evidence that acts of generosity and belief in the kindness of others are “significant predictors of happiness, even more than obtaining a higher salary.”
“People are too pessimistic about the kindness of their community”, and “the rate of performance of lost portfolios is much higher than people expect,” they add.
The Nordic countries are also classified “among the best places for real and real restitution rates of lost portfolios.”
Source: BFM TV
