The World Happiness Report is more a study of life satisfaction than smiles and laughter. It is based on a survey by Gallup, where participants are asked to rate their lives out of ten. Finland (7.7) and Scandinavian countries were ranked in the top positions. The global average was 5.6 and the bottom ranks included Afghanistan with 1.4
The Nordics are some of the wealthiest countries in the world and this typically has a significant effect on life satisfaction.
Latin American countries like Costa Rican and Mexico were among the top ranks. The researchers found that having meals with friends ((compared to eating alone) may be one of the key reasons for the high happiness rankings. Latin America is a “global leader” in meal-sharing, across the region reportedly eat around nine meals per week with friends or family..
The study found that measures of social support are more closely linked to how people rate their lives than GDP per person.
This may explain why happiness in Americans (increasingly eat alone) and work alone is less happy. In another survey 18% of Americans reported that they did not have anyone that they felt close to.
However I wonder why Islamic countries were not included as they share meals and
The Economist
https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2025/03/20/lessons-from-the-happiest-countries-in-the-world
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