WHY FINNS ARE THE HAPPIEST PEOPLE
It's happened again! The Nordic countries keep coming out on top in the United Nations World Happiness Study. Why are they so happy? Finns don’t try to keep up with the Joneses, don't neglect the importance of nature, and don't break trust with one another. 2022 Tokyo...
Thomas Jefferson Was Right: Happiness Comes First
“Care of life and happiness are the first and only object of good government.” From Aristotle to Thomas Jefferson, the most revered writers of governing documents worldwide maintain that government shall uphold the quality of life of those governed. From Aristotle to...
Women Under 50 Lead the World’s 3 Happiest Countries
For 20 years now millions of people around the world have been telling Gallup about their well-being. The feedback is astonishing! Of the top 20 happiest countries, 35 percent are led by women, compared to 10 percent worldwide. Countries with female leaders recorded...
2023 World Happiness Report: “Happiness Is a Movement”
The knowledge of how to promote happiness is becoming a well-being revolution. In countries where people are trustworthy, generous, and mutually supportive, they are happier. Governments that promote a happy populace improve their chances of re-election. News reports...
Best Ways To Encourage Kinder Actions
Researchers agree that the behavior of individuals powerfully influences the behavior of people around them. Often people want to do what their peers, neighbors, or friends do, imitate highly regarded others, coordinate with others, or seek to belong to or be accepted...
Strength of Character Might Make You Live Longer
Adults who are generous and kind have lower depression, lower cognitive impairment, and higher daily functioning. Sometimes the saying “only the good die young” seems true. But is it? Researchers report that the impact of honesty and integrity on physical and mental...
Political Scientists Say Gender Equity Is Key to Happiness
To be happier, we should elect more women to political office. Political scientists say the results are quite clear: In countries where more women hold elected office, people are happier. There is strong, consistent evidence that promoting gender equality in...
The Malady of Corruption: Is It Contagious or Inherited?
Psychologists find that you can be infected by corruption by being around it. Researchers have found that countries with the highest number of years of schooling in 1870 have the lowest levels of corruption in 2010. Corruption is highly contagious, despite differing...
The 4 Virtues of World Happiness
The 2020 United Nations World Happiness Report, in its article, "History & the Hunt for the Root Cause," hypothesized that past choices play a part in the psychological functioning of whole countries. The authors point to a historical pattern of virtue in the...