World Happiness Report 2015

MIchael Laffey, LIfe Coach, World Happiness Report 2015, Michael Laffey LIfe Coach

World Happiness Report 2015

Last week saw the annual publication of the World Happiness Report which was first released in 2012.

What is the World Happiness Report

The report is issued by the United Nations. This year’s report is being used as a platform for member states to adopt Sustainable Development Goals (i.e. goals which create wider reaching measurement of national development other than GDP).

A report on the subject of happiness seems strange but over recent years the topic has become popular as a feedback loop for governments to assess the effectiveness of their policies.

The report creators say that this is the first year where the data is large enough to gain greater insight. It has also been able to learn from other happiness indices, with this particular version able to cross reference data more intelligently.

What Does the Report Tell Us

The report has become synonymous with ranking the happiest country in the world.

This year the #1 slot goes to Switzerland. Congratulations to La Suisse!

The report goes much deeper than who reports feeling happiest and smiles the most.

The components of happiness are better understood and although many feel the term “happiness” is a glib term instead of “subjective wellbeing (SWB)”, many agree that the term happiness is the best vehicle to draw attention to the report and what it has to convey.

So what else can we learn from the report:

  • A summary of geographical happiness & national rankings
  • An appreciation of how gender & age across regions affect perceived levels of happiness
  • A greater understanding of the neuroscience of happiness which in this instance includes reported levels of positivity, resilience, mindfulness, empathy, age related & social integrity

What Stands Out Particularly For Me

In a global post-economic-crisis the timing of the report is enlightening.

  • We are informed about the changes in reported levels of happiness in Greece before & after “the economic crash”. The influencers in the downgrade of reported happiness are not financial!
  • Conversely, with Ireland (another euro-zone economic crisis), happiness levels have hardly changed. Why is Ireland different to Greece? Why does it also rank higher than the UK? Even more astounding is how can Iceland be topped only by Switzerland, coming out #2 in the national rankings when it’s own banking system plummeted?
  • Social Capital is integral to wellbeing (family, community, trust). Any or all aspects of social capital which are flawed or missing have direct consequences to wellbeing at both the personal and national level
  • Men and Woman aren’t all that different when it comes to their moods or levels of happiness overall
  • Age related happiness is U-shaped

The Full World Happiness Report can be read & downloaded here.

There is a summary report alongside the full report.

I’m keen to know what stands out for you.

Michael Laffey Life Coach, Michael Laffey, Life Coach