The World's Happiest Places

The Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development released a new study ranking the world's nations by the happiness levels of their citizens. According to the published results, northern Europeans are the happiest people in the world. The top ten are:

1. Denmark
2. Finland
3. The Netherlands
4. Sweden
5. Ireland
6. Canada
7. Switzerland
8. New Zealand
9. Norway
10. Belgium

The US ranked above average. Link to article. Link to slideshow. -via the Presurfer

(image credit: Eddie Gerald/Alamy)

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i think happiness here is defined as more money more happiness, but these countries mentioned here are countries rampant in DIVORCE and SUICIDE and boy if you divorce and commit suicide it means there is unhappiness and discontent. money contributes to happiness but it does not guarantee a happy life as a whole.pardon my English, not my native tongue...

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Ireland?! You wouldn't know it from all the moaning we do....

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I do find it rather suspicious that the “happiest countries” are all so close together. I’m calling BS on this study.

That's because they are all 'snuggling'!

Actually I always check the validity of these polls, who ran them, are they a Danish tourist board, etc.
Turns out that in this case the originating organisation is pretty solid.
http://www.oecd.org/pages/0,3417,en_36734052_36734103_1_1_1_1_1,00.html

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I've lived in two of those countries and if my experiences there are anything to go by, I shall be avoiding the other eight like the plague