What Can We Learn From The World\’s Happiest Countries?

It\’s probably impossible to ascertain without doubt what country is the happiest in the world. There\’s lots of competing information to contend with, struggles around the importance of material wealth in relation to wellbeing, and the massive philosophical headache of trying to define what happiness even is in the first place. This issues haven\’t stopped 2015 World Happiness Report from trying though, and they have made the best informed guesstimate possible.

Using factors such as life expectancy, subjective wellbeing, social support, GDP and freedom from corruption, this report has measured each country for its respective happiness.

Unfortunately, the UK hasn\’t done particularly well, and is trailing disappointingly in 21st place in a way that I find very reminiscent of my school sports days. Football fans may be pleased to note that we still beat Germany, which shows them for having the cheek to play football excellently and win the World Cup, but despite this small victory people will still be asking exactly what it is that\’s lacking in the UK that keeps us off the top spots.

These top spots are currently occupied by:

Switzerland
Iceland
Denmark
Norway
Canada
Finland
Netherlands
Sweden
New Zealand
Australia

Casting an eye down this list makes it clear that the Scandinavian countries are really hogging the happiness limelight, which suggests they are have something going for them that other parts of the world do not. It could Iceland\’s proud glow in the knowledge that it is the birthplace of Bjork, Sweden\’s good luck in being entirely populated by handsome blonde giants, or just the fact that these northerners get to see the aurora borealis much more often than we do.

All these things would certainly make most people happier, but there are other factors that may play a bigger role. For one, a big sense of community. Ninety five percent of Norwegians feel like there\’s someone around who they can rely on, with other Scandinavians reporting similarly high figures. It could be the small population sizes that contribute to this, demonstrated by Iceland (rather charmingly) having to axe their version of X Factor after running out of potential contestants.

Also, if you find yourself without your social support network, the very high rate of tax ensures that there is a comprehensive state safety net. For example, every single expectant mother in Finland gets a state-provided starter kit, and they are often cited as providing some of the best education in the world. In direct contradiction to the British politicians who tell us that rote-learning and heavy workloads are the key to success, Finnish education starts at 7 years old and never involves more than half an hour of homework a night.

Perhaps most importantly, however, is the brilliant work-life balance. Fathers are encouraged to take months off for paternity leave, working at weekends is unheard of, and people always clock out before five. In Denmark, only two percent of workers report working long hours, and Sweden is introducing the 6 hour working day, believing it will lead to greater productivity and a better home life for their workforce. All of which gives you the impression that if you ask a Scandinavian to do hours of unpaid overtime, which is something of a given in other places, they would first faint in shock and then laugh all the way home.

Another thing that all ten of the countries have going for them is that they are very beautiful. New Zealand, the favoured home of hobbits (who are known to be very discerning), has a particular fame for this. Douglas Adams, who wrote The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, said of the country- \”one\’s first impulse, standing on a clifftop surveying it all, is simply to burst into spontaneous applause\”, which may rank somewhere in the best compliments of all time. I\’m convinced that saying this to in regards to a human would lead to an instant marriage proposal.

Britain can easily compete in terms of beauty with all these countries, so this isn\’t the thing keeping us low in the charts. People often cite the miserable weather as the cause for our slightly dour attitude, but when you\’re up against somewhere called Iceland this shouldn\’t really be a problem. The things the UK may fall short on are the sense of community and compassion, satisfaction with our lives, and work-life balance.

While it may take systemic changes for these issues to be addressed nationwide and improve our performance in the happiness polls, they are all things that meditation may improve on an individual level. Meditation has been shown to improve performance, productivity and focus, all things that can allow us to \”work smarter\” (unfortunately we aren\’t allowed as functioning members of society to \”not bother\”, but there you go) and get more done in less time.

Also, meditation can improve our relationships. Becoming less judgemental, letting go of old resentments and an increase in empathy are all advantages of meditation, making that sense of community with seems to keep the Scandinavians so happy more achievable. Finally, and most importantly, Beeja meditation can combat stress.

Long working hours, a fast pace of life and constant demands on our time make stress the dastardly villain that wants to ruin our health, looks, and most pertinently happiness. It\’s hard to be happy if you spend all day resisting the urge to throw your computer out of the window and scream uselessly into the pile of work that has accumulated on your desk, and meditation may help us have a more Scandinavian attitude to life. Perhaps if all Britons took it up, we could beat them at their own game.