Quality of life: Happiness lies in the far north

Every spring, the World Happiness Report points out that the success of countries should be measured by the happiness of their people. More than ten years have passed since the publication of the first World Happiness Report. Decisive for the quality of life and happiness are social cohesion, health and prosperity. 

The ranking of the happiest countries is published regularly by a United Nations initiative. It is based on a survey conducted by the Gallup polling institute. The institute surveys around 1,000 men and women in almost 150 countries around the world every year. The questions ask how people rate their own lives. 

The magazine Spektrum der Wissenschaft has reported on where people are happiest: "Finland, Denmark and also Schleswig-Holstein regularly occupy the top places on happiness research rankings." Also, Iceland, Sweden and Norway are traditionally among the top ten in the United Nations ranking. 

In the Nordic countries, there is a much higher level of general satisfaction with life circumstances than in other regions of the world. According to happiness researcher Uwe Jensen, Professor of Statistics and Econometrics at Kiel University, "The experience of happiness fluctuates; satisfaction, on the other hand, is more independent of short-term influences." Jensen names the contributors to happiness in everyday life, which include: Spending time with people, exercise, experiencing nature and doing good.

There are differences in the quality of life in the various German states: While Berlin, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Thuringia and Saarland still have a lot of catching up to do on the happiness scale, residents of Schleswig-Holstein and Bavaria are among the happiest German citizens, followed by North Rhine-Westphalia, Hamburg, and Brandenburg. Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony, Rhineland-Palatinate and Bremen occupy middle positions. 

(Photo: © Peggychoucair, Pixabay)