America Doesn’t Crack The Top 10 On World’s Happiest Countries List
Let's hear it for the hygge. At least that’s what we’re crediting with the Scandinavian domination of the annual list of World’s Happiest Countries. Norway jumped from last year’s rank of fourth place to take the top spot, followed by Denmark, Iceland and Switzerland. The Danish concept of “hygge” is practiced in Scandinavian ｃountries and essentially boils down to finding pleasure in everyday events and creating a cozy atmosphere. It’s thought to be the secret to their happiness.
According to the report, produced by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network for the United Nations, the top four ｃountries all rank highly on factors associated with happiness: caring, freedom, generosity, honesty, health, income and good governance. In fact, “their averages are so close that small changes can re-order the rankings from year to year,” the report states.
The Nordic ｃountries outpace the United States on personal freedom, social support, and lower corruption, which researchers believe acｃounts for the differences in satisfaction. The U.S. didn’t crack the top 10, coming in at 14th place, which is one spot lower than last year. And according to the report authors, the U.S. is trying to restore happiness in all of the wrong ways by focusing on economic growth. Instead, the paper advises that America fix its current social issues - rising inequality, corruption, isolation and distrust.
“Almost all of the policy discourse in Washington, D.C. centers on naïve attempts to raise the economic growth rate, as if a higher growth rate would somehow heal the deepening divisions and angst in American society,” the report states. “This kind of growth-only agenda is doubly wrong-headed.”
To ｃounteract the combined decline of social capital, the national GDP would have to rise from $53,000 to around $133,000.
This year’s report put a special emphasis on the social and personal aspects of happiness, including the office. While those who make more are unsurprisingly happier, money is only one measure of work-related happiness. Job variety, level of autonomy and balance are other significant drivers according to Oxford Professor and study co-author Jan-Emmanuel De Neve. Unsurprisingly, satisfaction differs across various sectors and job types.
“There is a clear distinction in happiness between white and blue collar jobs with managers or professionals evaluating the quality of their lives at a much higher level than those in manual labor jobs even controlling for any possible confounding factors,” De Neve explains in a statement.
This year’s report was released today in honor of World Happiness Day, which has fallen on March 20 since the U.N. General Assembly declared it an official designation in 2012. The analysis is based on data from the Gallup World Poll which surveyed people in 155 ｃountries over the span of three years: 2014-2016. The typical annual sample was 1,000 people per ｃountry.
The 20 Happiest Countries In The World Are:
1. Norway
2. Denmark
3. Iceland
4. Switzerland
5. Finland
6. Netherlands
7. Canada
8. New Zealand
9. Australia
10. Sweden
11. Israel
12. Costa Rica
13. Austria
14. United States
15. Ireland
16. Germany
17. Belgium
18. Luxembourg
19. United Kingdom
20. Chile
Article Source: http://www.msn.com/en-ph/health/wellness/america-doesn%e2%80%99t-crack-the-top-10-on-world%e2%80%99s-happiest-ｃountries-list/ar-BBysI17?li=BBr8YXP&ocid=iehp
Image Source: http://www.theimaginativeconservative.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/happiness-e1436823967332-326x235.jpg
VOCABULARY WORDS:
1. Hygge (n.) ~ the Danish ritual of enjoying life's simple pleasures
2. Outpace (v.) ~ go, rise, or improve faster than
3. Discourse (n.) ~ written or spoken communication or debate
4. Angst (n.) ~ a feeling of deep anxiety or dread, typically an unfocused one about the human condition or the state of the world in general
5. Autonomy (n.) ~ freedom from external control or influence independence
6. Boil down (idiom) ~ the main reason for it
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:
1. According to the article, what are the various criteria in measuring the happiness level of a ｃountry?
2. What is the US focusing on these days? Why is that not a good focus?
3. What are the top 5 happiest ｃountries? What do you think are common among these ｃountries?
4. If you would rate the happiness level of Koreans from 1 to 5, 5 being the highest, what would your rating be? Explain your answer.
5. What do you think your government should focus on for the Korean people to be happier? Discuss your opinion.
