Britons, you are indecisive. Or perhaps you are just a very up and down bunch. Either way, someone’s misjudged us.
A few weeks ago, the 2024 Global Mind project revealed that we in the United Kingdom were the second-most miserable people in the world, which, if you’ve ever spoken to a British person on a rainy day, sounds about right.
Despite this assertion, a rival study has come to destroy all we thought we knew about ourselves. According to a little known group called ‘the UN’, the United Kingdom is actually amongst the happiest countries in the world. That’s right. Based on the UN’s calculations, we are the 20th happiest nation on Earth, being narrowly beaten out by Lithuania, Czechia, and our neighbours to the west, Ireland.
So how did the UN come to this conclusion? Well, gathering data on a range of factors including GDP per capita (how much money a country is generating per person), freedom to make life choices, generosity and life expectancy, they were able to do some maths and give each nation an overall numerical ranking on their population’s joy.
The elderly ranked as ‘significantly happier than the young’ in Britain, so clearly we should all be spending a lot more time with our grannies.
Finland came out on top, followed swiftly by Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden. Whatever is in the water in Scandinavia is working for them, as they regularly top international satisfaction rankings. Maybe the secret to life is hygge after all.
So head over to your nan’s house with a candle or two, and take this as a positive sign. We’re NOT as miserable as everyone thinks, and that’s something to be proud of. Someday we might even reach the state of bliss that the Scandinavians feel every day.
What is happening in the UK?
We at Time Out like to keep you updated on the stories that will keep these good times going. For instance, did you see this 13-foot tall statue of Prince Philip that’s being torn down for being too ugly? Or maybe you’d like to know about this Manchester rooftop bar which has been named one of the best in the world. If you’re looking for some good news, look no further than the fact that hedgehogs are making a comeback to our gardens.
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