Who Is Happy?

A Time magazine special report, The Science of You (New York:  Time Books, 2013), explored the question of what causes people in different countries to be happiest.  It concluded that even though people in wealthy countries are generally happier than people in countries torn by strife, wealth, and security are not the most critical determinants of happiness in a country:

• Costa Rica, the happiest country in the world, isn't close to being a rich country — with a per capita income of $11,900.  Citizens of Costa Rica, like those in many Latin American nations, "derive much of their happiness from sprawling but close-knit families."
• Five of the happiest nations in the world are ScandInavian.  These countries are well-to-do, but "not significantly richer than their sadder European neighbors....  What ultimately distinguishes the region is its broadly egalitarian societies: these countries have much lower levels of economic inequality than similarly well-off nations....  As it turns out, equality is an important contributor to happiness."

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