Finland and the World Happiness Report

Happy International Day of Happiness!

Today is the International Day of Happiness and the theme this year is ‘Happier Together’. The focus is on what we have in common, rather than what divides us. Indeed, research has shown that relationships are essential to our happiness and wellbeing. I do not refer only to romantic relationships; our social network includes friends, family, colleagues, neighbors, teammates and so on.

 

 

Research has also shown higher mortality among individuals who are lonely. In The Nordic Guide to Living 10 Years Longer: 10 Easy Tips to Live a Healthier, Happier Life

Dr Bertil Marklund, a doctor and researcher at the Gothenburg University, shares ten tips that promise not only a happier but also a healthier life. Amongst those, he advises that loneliness increases the risk of dying from a stroke, the risk of a heart attack and the risk of developing Alzheimer’s.

But back to happiness…

According to the United Nations World Happiness Report, Finland is for a second consecutive year the happiest place on Earth, followed by Denmark (the happiest 3 years ago), Norway (the happiest 2 years ago), Iceland, and the Netherlands. In case you’re wondering Sweden came in at 7, the UK at 15, the USA at 19 and my home country, Greece, at 82. The report is based on a number of variables, such as real GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, generosity, and perceptions of corruption (which probably accounts for the low ranking of Greece).

These variables contribute to both an individual’s and a nation’s happiness, but don’t tell the whole story.

 

 

In the Shadow of Happiness

‘In the Shadow of Happiness’, a recent report published by the Nordic Council of Ministers, confirms what we all suspected: nothing is as perfect as it seems and not all Scandinavians are immune to unhappiness.

According to the findings of the report, a significant proportion (12.3%) of the Nordic population is either struggling or suffering. The largest proportion was found in Sweden (14.9%), and the smallest in Denmark (8.1%).

As mentioned in this report, ‘in research there is considerable consensus on distinguishing between three dimensions of subjective well-being’. These include:

1. life evaluation (i.e. how happy or satisfied one is with life in general),
2. affect (how happy they currently feel),
3. and eudaimonia (how meaningful they perceive their life to be).

The first dimension is the most frequently used, and is also the one used in this report.

 

Happiness around the world

In The Blue Zones of Happiness: Lessons from the World’s Happiest People

Dan Buettner explores the three dimensions (or strands) in three different countries, which are often heralded as the world’s happiest places: Denmark (officially the 2nd happiest country in the world), Costa Rica (the 12th happiest) and Singapore (the 34th). He explains how the Danes score high on the purpose strand (akin to eudaimonia), as well as the pleasure (experienced happiness, akin to affect) and pride (evaluative happiness, akin to life evaluation) ones. For the Singaporeans, happiness is also closely related to purpose, meaning and fulfillment. At the same time, the Gallup World Poll consistently ranks this small Asian country high for life satisfaction. The extraordinary social support, an important part of their culture (and the theme for this year’s International Day of Happiness) partially explains why the Costa Ricans are so happy.

Similarly, in The Little Book of Lykke: The Danish Search for the World’s Happiest People

Meik Wiking, CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen, not only discusses the challenges in measuring happiness, but also distinguishes between these three dimensions.

So, it appears that the variables that propelled Finland and the rest of Scandinavia to the top of the list of the happiest countries in the world are only part of the equation.

 

A Very Short Introduction to Happiness

In Happiness: A Very Short Introduction

I read about ‘the hidden face of happiness’. Daniel M. Haybron beautifully explains the role of the unconscious into our happiness and wellbeing. He then talks about mood propensity and the non-conscious aspects of our emotional world, which he links with our temperament.

As a Psychiatrist, I strongly believe that happiness is a skill that can be practiced and learned. This view has been embraced from Aristotle to Buddhists, and from modern day psychologists to bloggers, entrepreneurs and influencers. Yet, it can easily be misinterpreted. When I’m saying that happiness is a skill to be cultivated, I am not talking in the context of clinical depression (or other severe mental illness). For sufferers with clinical depression need treatment (usually psychological therapy and/or medication). But, for the rest of us, the view that happiness is a skill (neither a given nor simply an option) is empowering; at the same time, however, it puts the responsibility on the individual. For nature (genetics), temperament/mood propensity, early life events/nurture and later life circumstances all contribute to our emotional responses, we still have the power and the responsibility (to ourselves) to work towards a happier life.

Haybron also mentions the ‘negativity bias’: how we have the natural tendency to focus on the negative things in our environment more than on the neutral or even positive ones. Our brains have simply been wired this way. Yet, we have the capacity to overcome this inherent status quo; this is exactly why I consider happiness a skill we can practice and learn.

 

 

On a more positive note…

On a more positive note, positive thinking, like happiness, is also a skill that can be practiced and learned. If this sounds like psychobabble, I assure you it is not. A large number of published studies confirm the strong association between positive thinking on the one hand and wellbeing on the other; they also explain the reason for this. Neuroplasticity, or brain plasticity, refers to the ability of the brain to change (both its structure and its function) throughout one’s life. This is commonly called rewiring and involves creating and strengthening brain pathways (neural circuits). Neuroscience research shows that positive thinking strategies, including reflection and gratitude journals, are effective ways to improve one’s mental wellbeing for this very reason; they contribute to the rewiring of the brain.

Positive thinking, optimism and gratitude have been associated not only with mental wellbeing, but also physical health benefits. In a nutshell, these benefits include:

 

• Better coping skills during hardships and times of stress
• Lower rates of depression
• Lower levels of distress
• Better mental and physical wellbeing
• Greater resistance to the common cold
• Better cardiovascular health and reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease
• Increased life span

 

In Ikigai: The Japanese secret to a long and happy life

I read about a study conducted at Yeshiva University, which found that people who live the longest have two dispositional traits in common. A positive attitude is one of the two; the other one is a high degree of emotional awareness, which can be cultivated with psychotherapy.

This exemplifies the interplay between physical and mental health. Thinking positively enables us to cope better with stressful situations; this not only enhances our mental wellbeing (reducing depression and distress), but also reduces the harmful health effects of stress on our body.

 

 

Happiness in London

But you don’t have to go all the way to Finland, Costa Rica, or Singapore to be happier.

If you live in London, you could visit The Museum of Happiness. Rather than a physical space/building/gallery, it is a non-profit organization that offers interactive experiences (for example, meditation or film screenings followed by discussion and a shared meal), as well as workshops and events to promote happiness and wellbeing to the wider community. The team’s values –happiness, creativity, community, and mindfulness- echo very much mine; so does their belief that happiness is a skill that can be taught and learned.

Or, you could go to the ‘Canvas Café’, London’s first ‘happy café’ (the very first ‘happy café’ opened in Brighton); you will find it on Hanbury Street, just a few meters from Brick Lane. It is part of the Happy Café Network, set up in 2014 by Action for Happiness, a movement launched in 2011 and based on the idea that ‘people commit to living in a way which creates more happiness – both for themselves and for others too’. The Happy Café Network includes more than 30 cafés around the UK, and even more across the world. These are places where ‘those seeking happier lives for themselves and others can connect with each other over a coffee and learn science-based skills for enhancing psychological wellbeing’. Like in the Museum of Happiness, here you can participate in experiential activities (mindfulness, meditation, yoga), watch films or join talks about wellbeing and happiness.

Or, even better, join me for a walk and a recital in hip Shoreditch, so we can explore happiness together.

To follow my travels around the world, simply subscribe to the Traveling Psychiatrist (just click on the menu on the left hand side).

 

 

Further reading

You can read the World Happiness Report here.

Check out my other posts about wellbeing and happiness:

10 tips for better mental health & wellbeing (part 1)

10 tips for better mental health & wellbeing (part 2)

Beyond traveling: Collecting beautiful moments of pleasure

Ikigai & Komorebi: Finding purpose & beautiful moments

Let Me Tell You a Story: Tales along the road to happiness

9 Secrets to Happiness from the Cultures of the World

Hygge, Lagom & Lykke: 10 books about Scandi happiness

Sweden: Behind the myth of the lagom utopia

Buddha’s Brain: The neuroscience of happiness

Aristotle ’s Way: Ancient Wisdom & Happiness

Counting my blessings: End-of-year reflection

 

Happy reading!

 

Alex

(the Traveling Psychiatrist)

 

P.S. Do not forget to subscribe to the Traveling Psychiatrist (just click on the menu on the left hand side).