World Happiness Report 2018: Top Spots Claimed by Countries w. Northern European Socialist Model

[Bald1]

Sweden has dropped in the rankings.

Post USADA or just out of its prime?

Post USADA sample tainted by unknown ingredients in the kebabs. They were framed!

 

[TheGreatA]

Weird considering their spot in the suicide rate.

The suicide rate has decreased quite a bit. Its elevation was mostly the result of economic depression in the 90's. The welfare bubble burst and a lot of people lost everything they worked for.

However, the amount of mentally ill/suicidal people on anti-depressants is still pretty damn high, all things considered. So the estimated happiness of a society does not necessarily translate into the happiness of the individual.

The climate is quite "depressing", so that plays a part as well. Long, dark, cold winters, during which you cannot comfortably go outside and socialize with other people. If poor people were allowed the choice of living in South American/African climate, or getting welfare hand-outs, a surprising amount would probably pick the better climate. It yields to a more social environment where the people give each other the emotional support required to go through the hardships of poverty. Here, if we didn't give people the means required to survive through government action, they'd just freeze or drink themselves to death. Or kill themselves. Alone.

This is one of the few countries where a sizeable number of the refugees actually volunteered to go back to where they came from, to Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and such places. When people prefer to go back to a warzone, you have to question whether the country you live in, is truly the "happiest country" on earth. And if it is, then it does not speak too favourably about the state of our world.

 

[luckyshot]

A little socialism goes a long way. Baseline safety net, health care and education are things we should all contribute towards. Nanny and welfare states? Not so much.

Ahem, #7 and #1 cough cough.

Outlier or exemplar?

Like I said to @Neph earlier itt, for the purposes of American political discourse, universal healthcare and affordable university = Socialism.

I mean, honestly, these things are significantly left of even most mainstream Democratic positions in the USA.

And as I said to @HereticBD in another thread, if you are from another country you are almost AUTOMATICALLY a liberal by American standards.

To be an CONSERVATIVE Canadian of German or whatever (according to the American use of the word) would mean that you were in favor of:

1. Letting personal healthcare premiums double and prescription costs increase by 200%+
2. Abolishing universal healthcare so that if you lose your job you have no health coverage
3. Letting university tuition rise 400-800%

That's what AMERICAN conservatism means. So just realize, if you are from another country, and you are not in favor of the things I listed above, most Americans would probably consider you a socialist liberal, at least on economic issues.

That's how stupid our "system" (or, more appropriately, lack thereof) is.

 

[A_bomb47]

lol greece always so low rank but such a beautiful place. and why does belgium never hit the top but Luxembourg and Netherlands do but not france?

Simple, those are completely different countries.

 

[bobgeese]

That’s just because they’ve never breathed the fresh air of freedom we have in Murica.

Give them a big house, a steak, and a bazooka and they’ll change their tune...

 

[KONG-D'SNT-TAP]

Because people make up people's systems. You have to have more people putting in than taking out.

This doesn't even make sense. Are you saying in America less people put in than take out. How would that even be possible.

 

[TheGreatA]

The suicide rate has decreased quite a bit. Its elevation was mostly the result of economic depression in the 90's. The welfare bubble burst and a lot of people lost everything they worked for.

However, the amount of mentally ill/suicidal people on anti-depressants is still pretty damn high, all things considered. So the estimated happiness of a society does not necessarily translate into the happiness of the individual.

The climate is quite "depressing", so that plays a part as well. Long, dark, cold winters, during which you cannot comfortably go outside and socialize with other people. If poor people were allowed the choice of living in South American/African climate, or getting welfare hand-outs, a surprising amount would probably pick the better climate. It yields to a more social environment where the people give each other the emotional support required to go through the hardships of poverty. Here, if we didn't give people the means required to survive through government action, they'd just freeze or drink themselves to death. Or kill themselves. Alone.

This is one of the few countries where a sizeable number of the refugees actually volunteered to go back to where they came from, to Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and such places. When people prefer to go back to a warzone, you have to question whether the country you live in, is truly the "happiest country" on earth. And if it is, then it does not speak too favourably about the state of our world.

Just to put it to perspective.

Would you rather spend your days, with up to 9 months of this?

while possessing healthcare, free education, and social welfare.

Or would you rather spend your days here, without such privileges?

I think many able-bodied, healthy young men would choose the latter option.

 

[Prokofievian]

Just to put it to perspective.

Would you rather spend your days, with up to 9 months of this?

while possessing healthcare, free education, and social welfare.

Or would you rather spend your days here, without such privileges?

I think many able-bodied, healthy young men would choose the latter option.

I'm actually about the choose the former. Again. But then again I'm Canadian and winter is very much a part of my identity. I actually couldn't live somewhere without winter. My only complaint about Finland was the darkness. Nothing that a ski holiday back home can't cure.

 

[AnGrYcRoW]

Depends on how you rate happiness and well being.

Lots of people like being controlled and taken care of totally by the government . If you rate that has happiness then you get this list.

If you are happy with that more power to you.

Tell me how the government in Canada controls and takes care of me ?

 

[Andy Capp]

You might like to watch this video, it's really entertaining and enlightening about the world.

My post was a shithole country joke, but yeah, cool video.

 

[Johnny Mac]

So, whether you measure subjectively, objectively, or some combination of the two, Northern European socialist models continue to produce unprecedented success on the societal level, as they have for 25+ years.

You're about as American as a French Baguette.

 

[RockstarChris]

I should stop going to the tanning salon so i can gain entry to these amazing countries

 

[Deleted member 196663]

Such a worthless, and unscientific study. There is no real objective measure for happiness.

 

[Lord Coke]

I don't understan how anyone could be happy when Trudeau or Merkel is their leader.

 

[MicroBrew]

argentina more mediterranean more similar to southern italians greeks, and southern spaniards and even moroccans. This also ignore that decent size amount of people in argentina are castizos not i say more than 15% or so. There also many arabs in argentina like 3 or 4 million lebanese diaspora christians.


these lists i dont think so accurate. I say like 90% of people or 95% love they from if they are from a 2nd or 3rd world country they like there culture, race, people. What nobody likes is struggle financially. That why you can see i hear in london or many places immigrant communities stay together and not mix go home a lot but beneift from economics of the new place.

Sure Argentina is more like Southern Europe, but there are lots of Germans and Welsh there too. Southern Brazil has lots of Germans also. I don't know which part of Italy most Argentines came from, but if it is Northern Italy, then they are similar to Northern Europeans, with lots of Germanic ancestry.

 

[MicroBrew]

I don't understan how anyone could be happy when Trudeau or Merkel is their leader.

Maybe they choose to not read the news and current affairs much?? I recal back in HS, my English teacher telling me that the more you read/learn about history and news, the more depressed you become.

 

[D3thr0n3d K1ng]

That’s just because they’ve never breathed the fresh air of freedom we have in Murica.

Give them a big house, a steak, and a bazooka and they’ll change their tune...

I think they might change their tune once they experience the school shootings, homicidal cops, going into debt to pay for basic health care and not getting any paid vacation every year. Perhaps.

 

[AnGrYcRoW]

Such a worthless, and unscientific study. There is no real objective measure for happiness.

You sound unhappy

 

[Deleted member 196663]

You sound unhappy

More “data” for that study.

 

[AnGrYcRoW]

More “data” for that study.

You obviously haven't looked at their methodology