I'm off...

Blue Velvet · Jul 28, 2006

...to Denmark, that is.

Why?

Because it's the happiest place on Earth.

If it is happiness you are seeking a move to Denmark could be in order, according to the first scientist to make a world map of happiness...

...Adrian White from the University of Leicester in the UK used the responses of 80,000 people worldwide to map out subjective wellbeing.

Denmark came top, followed closely by Switzerland and Austria. The UK ranked 41st. Zimbabwe and Burundi came bottom.

A nation's level of happiness was most closely associated with health levels. Wealth and education were the next strongest determinants of national happiness.

1st - Denmark
2nd - Switzerland
3rd - Austria
4th - Iceland
5th - The Bahamas

UK=41st, USA=23rd...

Download the Happiness Map here.
(PDF, 146kb)

See you in Copenhagen... or maybe the Bahamas. Nicer weather.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5224306.stm

spicyapple · Jul 28, 2006

Have fun!

I might take a little trip myself. I've been feeling a little bit under the weather of late.

FleurDuMal · Jul 28, 2006

If I lived in Saudi Arabia, and someone asked me if I was happy, I'd smile nervously and give a positive answer, for fear that it was some Government agency

.

Killyp · Jul 28, 2006

Ahhh, Danmark, the home of Danish Pastries, the Paperclip and Bang & Olufsen.

Of course MacRumors is still available in Denmark! Remember to post pictures when you get there...

Mitthrawnuruodo · Jul 28, 2006

Killyp said:
Ahhh, Danmark, the home of [...] the Paperclip [...]

Sorry, that's Norwegian... don't hurt our "national myth"...

Jaffa Cake · Jul 28, 2006

Mitthrawnuruodo said:
Sorry, that's Norwegian... don't hurt our "national myth"...

Lego's Danish though, right?

Blue Velvet · Jul 28, 2006

Jaffa Cake said:
Lego's Danish though, right?

...and so is bacon for those butties with brown sauce.

And Carlsberg, too.

See? They've got it sorted.

Jaffa Cake · Jul 28, 2006

Blue Velvet said:
...and so is bacon for those butties with brown sauce.

And Carlsberg, too.

See? They've got it sorted.

Wow...

*Scurries off to see if Humberside Airport does flights to Copenhagen*

Mitthrawnuruodo · Jul 28, 2006

Jaffa Cake said:
Lego's Danish though, right?

Correct... and Tuborg, to uphold the beer theme...

Lau · Jul 28, 2006

Lego, bacon and beer. I may actually move there.

Jaffa Cake · Jul 28, 2006

Lau said:
Lego, bacon and beer. I may actually move there.

bmi fly out from Edinburgh to Copenhagen, it seems looks like my closest Denmark-bound plane leaves from Manchester.

balamw · Jul 28, 2006

Blue Velvet said:
Because it's the happiest place on Earth.

Quick! Someone tell the folks at Disneyland.

They've been using that as a marketing tagline for years.

Maybe Denmark can parlay this into getting its own Disney park there now, next to LegoLand Billund.

B

mkrishnan · Jul 28, 2006

LOL I was all getting ready to miss you!

Mmm, I think I would be happy for entirely different reasons (that have to do with Denmark's proximity to a few of my friends in Europe) if I lived there!

lu0s3r322 · Jul 28, 2006

where the hell is Burundi???

balamw · Jul 28, 2006

lu0s3r322 said:
where the hell is Burundi???

Same general neck of the woods as Zimbabwe.

B

mkrishnan · Jul 28, 2006

Mr. Anderson · Jul 28, 2006

If it has a beach and palm trees, I'd be happy. The Bahamas are a little too commercial for me. I really liked St. John - but that's the US Virgin Islands - so they're lumped with the US. I'd bet they'd be up in the top 5, if they counted them separately....

D

TheAnswer · Jul 28, 2006

Not to burst Blue Velvet's bubble, but according to this study http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5169448.stm, Vanuatu is the happiest place on earth.

Depends on what happy is, but I would guess the Vanuatu study is on sustainable happiness, versus day-to-day subjective happiness...FYI...

1. Vanuatu
2. Colombia
31. China
38. México
62. India
65. Switzerland
66. Italy
88. Spain
99. Denmark
108. United Kingdom
111. Canada
129. France
150. United States

Whole list at http://www.happyplanetindex.org/list.htm

Killyp · Jul 28, 2006

Mitthrawnuruodo said:
Sorry, that's Norwegian... don't hurt our "national myth"...

O rly?

mkrishnan · Jul 28, 2006

Killyp said:
O rly?

Well, Wiki claims that the Byzantines invented paperclips before the Norweigians, but how does a picture of Denmark on a map covered with paper clips prove things one way or another?

Mitthrawnuruodo · Jul 28, 2006

Killyp said:
O rly?

Really...

Killyp · Jul 28, 2006

Now that's just cheating

EricNau · Jul 28, 2006

I'm heading off for Germany in two days!!!

Germany is rated 81, but I'll be the judge of that.

skunk · Jul 28, 2006

TheAnswer said:
Depends on what happy is, but I would guess the Vanuatu study is on sustainable happiness, versus day-to-day subjective happiness...

the article said:
The HPI incorporates three separate indicators: ecological footprint, life-satisfaction and life expectancy. The statistical calculations that underlie the HPI are quite complex. However conceptually, it is straight forward and intuitive:
HPI =
Life satisfaction x Life expectancy
Ecological Footprint

The HPI reflects the average years of happy life produced by a given society, nation or group of nations, per unit of planetary resources consumed. Put another way, it represents the efficiency with which countries convert the earth’s finite resources into well-being experienced by their citizens.

Nice measure.

And definitely better weather than Denmark...

pincho · Jul 28, 2006

bahahhaha that has got to be the worst representation of 'happiness' in the world

I'm off...

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