The 20 Happiest Countries In The World (The U.S. Is Not Among Them)

The rankings in the 14th World Happiness Report draw on Gallup World Poll data collected in more than 140 countries. Life evaluations are measured by asking respondents to rate their lives on a ladder from zero, the worst possible life, to 10, the best possible life. The annual rankings reflect three-year averages, allowing meaningful comparisons across countries and generations, and over time. (From The Gallup Poll)

The U.S. Falls To 23rd On The World Happiness Report

 Chart is from the 2024 World Happiness Report

The Happiest and Least Happy Countries

 The 2023 World Happiness Report lists the countries -- from most to least happy.

U.S. Trails 13 Other Nations In Having "Happy" Citizens

From the Gallup Poll.

Religion Most Important For A Happy Life? - Most Say No

Religious fundamentalists would have us believe that the most important thing necessary to have a happy life is religion (specifically the christian religion). They think religion is so important that it should be forced on all citizens in schools and at public events (including government-sponsered events). And they don't care that it's unconstitutional, because they would like to replace the Constitution with the Bible anyway.

Fortunately, most Americans don't agree with them. In fact, every single age group in the United States has only 19% or less that rates religion as most important to have a happy life -- while every single age group has a larger percentage saying religion is the least important thing necessary for a happy life. And each generation has a bigger percentage saying it is least important -- from 22% among those 65 & older to 46% among those 18 to 29.

This shouldn't really surprise anyone, since this mirrors the results of polls that say each generation is less religious than the one before it. The fact is, whether the fundamentalists want to admit it or not, that this is a secular country -- and it is becoming more so with each generation. While about 80% of the population claims to be at least somewhat religious, less than a quarter of that percentage consider religion important enough to rule how they live their lives or would want religion to determine the laws they must live under.

Here are how demographic groups other than age view the question of whether religion is most or least important to live a happy life:

These charts were made from information in a recent YouGov Poll -- taken between March 14th and 16th of 1,000 nationwide adults (with a margin of error between 3.5 and 4.0 points).

Old People Are Generally Happier

Thanks largely to the post-World War II baby boom and advances in medical care (including Medicare), our nation is aging quickly. With each passing year, the median age in the United States rises. As one of those "baby boomers", I found this study very interesting.

Ours is a youth-oriented society, and many people look upon growing old as a terrible thing. They worry about growing older, and view old age as a time of ill health, less income, less social status and loss of close friends. But while that may be true, a Stanford University psychologist has discovered that older people are generally happier than young people.

Dr. Laura Carstensen "asked volunteers ranging in age from 18 to mid-90s to take part in various experiments and keep diaries of their emotional state." The results of her study are interesting. She found that older people did not experience nearly as many persistent negative moods as younger people did, and took personal criticism much better. They were also better at controlling their emotions (a skill that seems to improve with age).

Dr. Susan Charles of the University of California puts it this way, "Based on work by Carstensen and her colleagues, we know that older people are increasingly aware that the time they have left in life is growing shorter. They want to make the best of it so they avoid engaging in situations that will make them unhappy. They have also had more time to learn and understand the intentions of others which helps them to avoid these stressful situations."

I have to agree with this. I am a much happier person than I used to be when I was younger. A large part of it came when I decided a few years ago that I was too old to care what other people thought or said about me.

The years (and a partially mis-spent youth) have also given me a wealth of experience. It is easier to pick out and avoid those situations that are likely to result in a negative consequence. I guess the old wive's tale about wisdom coming with age is at least partially true.

I gues the point is to not fret about growing older. As with youth, it has its advantages and disadvantages. One of the advantages is being happier. Personally, I like being happier.