Positive thoughts count down to xmas 7

When we're retired, we have a smaller world, bound by family and neighbours and limited activities. But we can still make a difference in our community, and in the people we love.

So, who are the absolute happiest people? The world's happiest countries, 2022 edition lists the top twenty countries. My country Canada ranks 15th, and my daughter's adopted country Australia ranks 12th.

1. Finland

2. Denmark

3. Iceland

4. Switzerland

5. Netherlands

6. Luxembourg

7. Sweden

8. Norway

9. Israel

10. New Zealand

11. Austria

12. Australia

13. Ireland

14. Germany

15. Canada

16. United States

17. United Kingdom

18. Czechia (Czech Republic)

19. Belgium

20. France

With the world in a state of upheaval, we could use some happy news. The 10th annual World Happiness Report has been released—just days ahead of the annual International Day of Happiness on March 20. The World Happiness Report—which ranks global happiness in more than 150 countries around the world—is released every year by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network. The statisticians base the ranking on data from the Gallup World Poll and several other factors, including levels of GDP, life expectancy and more.

With the world entering the third year of the pandemic, the report has three areas of focus in 2022: looking back; looking at how people and countries are doing in the face of Covid-19 and looking ahead to how the science of well-being is likely to evolve in the future.

The good news: This year’s report found remarkable worldwide growth in all three acts of kindness monitored in the Gallup World Poll. Some other good news, despite the pandemic: Positive emotions as a whole remained more than twice as frequent as negative ones. According to the report, there is still a lot of year-to-year consistency in the way people rate their lives in top-ranking countries.

Besides the happiest countries in the world, the report also looked at the places where people are the saddest. Afghanistan ranked as the unhappiest country in the world, with Lebanon, Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Botswana rounding out the bottom five.

So, what makes Finland so happy? “Research shows that high national ranking on these surveys is not so much about culture. It’s more about how a country’s institutions take care of their people—this leads to higher ratings of life satisfaction, According to other experts at Helsinki-based Aalto University, other factors contributing to this small country’s success include smart urban planning, access to green spaces to reduce stress and promote physical activity, an effective system of progressive taxation and strong healthcare and education systems.