Finland has regained its coveted title as the the world’s happiest countryIt is the fourth year in a row that the Nordic nation has taken first place even in the midst of a pandemic that has shaken the world.
Despite the catastrophic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in all areas of life, many of the countries with the highest rank in terms of overall happiness are at the top of the list, according to the 2021 World Happiness Report, released Friday. was released. before the International Day of Happiness.
The report focuses primarily on the relationship between wellness and the pandemic, which made gathering responses from around the world particularly challenging. The editorial notes that in addition to the dire toll of 2.6 million deaths from the pandemic worldwide, people around the world are also facing greater economic insecurity, fear, stress, challenges to mental and physical health, and a widespread disruption to health. every aspect of everyday life. .
“This year’s Happiness Report faced a unique challenge to try to understand the effect the pandemic has had on subjective well-being and vice versa,” the organization behind the report said in a statement. “Of all the factors that usually support happiness, the main explanations for the COVID-19 death rates were people’s trust in each other and trust in their governments.”
This confidence, the report’s editors say, is one of the main reasons Finland remains No. 1.
“Surprisingly, there was on average no decline in well-being as measured by their own evaluation of their lives,” said editor John Helliwell. “One possible explanation is that people view COVID-19 as a common outside threat affecting everyone and that it has generated a greater sense of solidarity and compassion.”
The US is in 14th place on this year’s list.
The report sought to answer an important question that separates America and Europe from East Asia, Australia and Africa: “Why the different COVID-19 death rates around the world?”
Some of the factors that may explain this variation include the age of the population, whether the country is an island, and proximity to other countries with high infection rates. Cultural differences also played critical roles, including trust in public institutions, historical knowledge of past epidemics, income inequality, whether the nation’s leader is a woman, and even whether lost wallets in the community were likely to be returned.
The report emphasized that pandemic policies can be as effective if citizens adhere to them, as is usually the case in East Asia, or more focused on freedom, as in Australia and New Zealand. The evidence showed that morale improves when governments act.
“The East Asian experience shows that strict government policies not only effectively control Covid-19, but also mitigate the negative impact of daily infections on people’s happiness,” said editor Shun Wang.
As a major victim of the pandemic and the resulting lockdowns, mental health was also a key factor. For example, researchers found that overall mental health problems were 47% higher in the UK in May 2020, a few months after the pandemic.
“The 2021 World Happiness Report reminds us that we should strive for well-being rather than mere wealth, which will indeed be fleeting if we don’t tackle the challenges of sustainable development much better,” said Jeffrey Sachs, co-editor of the report. .
Unsurprisingly, the pandemic was also hit hard well-being in the workplace, another measure of overall happiness. The loss of his job during the pandemic was accompanied by a 12% drop in life satisfaction, according to the report, which also predicts that the shift to remote working is likely to continue.
“It is striking that among people who stopped working due to leave or dismissal, the impact on life satisfaction was 40% more severe for people who initially felt lonely,” said editor Jan-Emmanuel De Neve. “Our report also points to a ‘hybrid’ future of work, balancing office life and working from home to maintain social connections while ensuring flexibility for employees, both of which have proven to be key drivers of well-being in the workplace . “
Happiest Countries in the World 2021
- Finland
- Iceland
- Denmark
- Switzerland
- The Netherlands
- Sweden
- Germany
- Norway
- New Zealand
- Austria
- Israel
- Australia
- Ireland
- United States
- Canada
- Czech Republic
- Belgium
- United Kingdom
- China
- France