The annual World Happiness Report has again ranked Finland and other Scandinavian countries the most cheerful nations on Earth. Costa Rica and Kuwait entered the top 20 in place of the United States and Germany.
The annual World Happiness Report has again ranked Finland and other Scandinavian countries the most cheerful nations on Earth. Costa Rica and Kuwait entered the top 20 in place of the United States and Germany.
But rising unhapiness especially among young people has seen other Western countries drop down the UN-sponsored index, with the United States and Germany dropping out of the top 20 for the first time since the report's first edition more than a decade ago.
Taking their place were Costa Rica and Kuwait at 12 and 13 respectively, while Eastern European countries Serbia, Bulgaria and Latvia reported the biggest increases in happiness.
Afghanistan, plagued by a humanitarian catastrophe since the Taliban regained control in 2020, remained in last place.
Yeah apparently they're happy with Mr Security leaving the door open and running a skeleton crew at the border on the 50th anniversary of the last Yom Kippur war.
Or maybe, just maybe, America is not the shit hole the propaganda is trying to make it out to be.
Don't get me wrong, we have our problems and it's not all peaches and cream, but it's overall a pretty good place to live, even if you are poor. Maybe especially if you're poor due to our services and access to things like clear water. Obviously not comparing to some of our peers, but across the world it's pretty good.
As a European I agree, visiting the US I'm always shocked how nice places are, like Baltimore has got a great atmosphere and a lot of really cool places, Pittsburgh was really cool too with the big fountain and everyone enjoying the river and stuff. They're both cities I hear people shit on endlessly but compared to most cities I've visited in Europe they're really nice.
My main culture shock in the US is how friendly everyone is, I told a crackhead I didn't have any cash on me and he recognized my accent said 'welcome to america' and it felt like he meant it, my top ten friendliest interactions with strangers are all in the US or Germany.
Your police and boarder control are absolutely crazy of course, it's scary that there are so many nuts with guns and some of your prices are just fucking wild but all in all anyone saying it's 3rd world or dystopic is living in a weird fantasy.
I'd agree with you. I live in the UK, but just recently went to Florida. When I came back I couldn't get over how much of a shithole the UK was - compared to Florida!!
I have been living in Botswana for the past two years, and I'm genuinely surprised where it is on this list. Yeah, people here don't have the greatest deal, but there's freaking universal healthcare here. The country has been extremely politically stable since independence. There's no way people are less happy here than those who are in active war zones.
How integrated are you into the local community? How well do you speak the local language? I'm a foreigner living abroad and I would never trust either my own perception of this place nor 99% of other foreigners' perceptions.
I see your point. I know that there are folks unhappy with the current government, but to be fair, who isn't? The San have also been pretty fucked over by the government.
My wife is finishing up a global health pediatric fellowship. She arrived in 2021, and I came out about a year later because I was finishing up chaplaincy training and I had a contract to finish out for a synagogue I was working for.
They can't remove the obsolete claim because China's Anti-Secession Law promises war if they do. Last time it was 1992 when they agreed about "one China, ROC or PRC, not both".