INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Finland has a lot to celebrate.Not only does it have a capital city bursting with gastronomic creativity, the spectacular Northern Lights
and Santa Claus's year-round home (plus the reindeer support staff) in Lapland
It's also the happiest country in the world for the second year in a row, according to the latest World Happiness Report
It's followed by Denmark, Norway, Iceland and The Netherlands.The world's happiest country likes ice swimming
The World Happiness Report was released by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network for the United Nations on March 20, the date that
the United Nations has declared to be the International Day of Happiness.The report ranks countries on six key variables that support
well-being: income, freedom, trust, healthy life expectancy, social support and generosity."The top 10 countries tend to rank high in all
six variables, as well as emotional measures of well-being," says report co-editor John Helliwell, a professor emeritus of economics at the
University of British Columbia.Related contentIce swimming embraced by people of happiest country in the worldAnd that's not just about the
native-born residents of those countries."It's true that last year all Finns were happier than rest of the countries' residents, but their
immigrants were also happiest immigrants in the world," says Helliwell
"It's not about Finnish DNA
It's the way life is lived in those countries."They pay high taxes for a social safety net, they trust their government, they live in
freedom and they are generous with each other
"They do care about each other," he says
"That's the kind of place people want to live."Related contentDefrosted Finland: How a land of 'sorrow' got happyDifferences among the top
eight countries are small enough that jostling among the top five is expected every year.Switzerland came in sixth place, followed by
Sweden, New Zealand, Canada (the only country in the Americas) and Austria.The 2019 list only changed a little, with Austria nudging
Australia out of the top 10 list
Australia dropped one spot to 11th place.Support in difficult times12 austria happiest coutries 201811 canada happiest coutries 201810 new
zealand happiest coutries 201809 sweden happiest coutries 201808 switzerland happiest coutries 201807 netherlands happiest coutries 201803
iceland happiest countries 201805 norway happiest coutries 201804 denmark happiest coutries 201803 finland happiest coutries 201802 finland
happiest countries 201813 bhutan happiest coutries 20181/12The world's 10 happiest countries
Austria nudged Australia out of the top 10 list this year, While Salzburg is famous for its ties to the real-life "Sound of Music" von Trapp
family, it was also home to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the Mirabell Gardens shown here (see the historic Fortress Hohensalzburg in the
background).ShutterstockRanking high in happiness doesn't protect a country's people from violence or trauma, as the recent attacks on
mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand show
But the response of New Zealand's people to the attacks does.New Zealand came in eighth place this year, as it did last year."What stands
out about the happiest and most well connected societies is their resilience and ability to deal with bad things," says Helliwell
"After the 2011 earthquake and now the terrorist attack in Christchurch -- with high social capital, where people are connected -- people
rally and help each other and (after the earthquake) rebuild immediately."The US rank is droppingThe most popular US national park, Great
Smoky Mountains National Park is a happy place for many visitors.The most popular US national park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a
happy place for many visitors.ShutterstockThe United States came in 19th place, dropping one spot since last year and a total of five spots
since 2017.Except for its 10th place ranking for income, the US doesn't rank in the top 10 on measures that make up a happy country in the
They include 12th place for generosity, 37th place for social support, 61st place for freedom and 42nd place for corruption.Addiction is
partly to blame, says report co-author Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, who wrote a chapter focused
on the US epidemic of addictions and unhappiness in America, a rich country where happiness has been declining.Related contentLink between
social media and depression stronger in teen girls than boys, study saysThis year's report provides sobering evidence of how addictions are
causing considerable unhappiness and depression in the US," says Sachs, in a press release
"Addictions come in many forms, from substance abuse to gambling to digital media
The compulsive pursuit of substance abuse and addictive behaviors is causing severe unhappiness."Social connections are weakening in the US
as social media usage is raising anxiety, especially among adolescents, says Helliwell.Superpowers are not super happyThe United Kingdom
rose three spots to 15th place this year
The United Kingdom rose three spots to 15th place this year.Leon Neal/Getty ImagesNo other super powers made it into the top 10 rankings,
The United Kingdom came in 15th place, up from 18th place, while Germany came in 17th place, down from 15th
Japan came in 58th place (down from 54th), Russia came in 68th place (down from 59th) and China came in 93rd place (down from 86th).People
in South Sudan are the most unhappy with their lives, according to the survey of 156 countries, followed by Central African Republic (155),
Afghanistan (154), Tanzania (153) and Rwanda (152).Bolstered by population growth, overall world happiness has fallen over the past few
years, which has mostly been fueled by a sustained drop in India, which came in 140th place this year (versus 133rd place in 2018)
There has also been an increase of negative emotions, which were also measured and include worry, sadness and anger.
