Countless metrics have been proposed over time to track <i>wellbeing</i> of some type. The recent WISE initiative [1] tries to put some structure around this (using current welfare, future welfare and inclusiveness as key dimensions).<p>Despite this lack of sharpness and unassailable objectivity, the signal sent by all these metrics is generally real: the focus on aggregate economic performance (the infamous GDP) and organizing society entirely around the maximization of monetarily defined wealth is too simplistic, no longer fit-for-purpose (if it ever was) and potentially a complete cul-de-sac.<p>The list of "happy" countries is more or less the set where various intangible cultural aspects partially mitigate the growing inadequacy of the mainstream socioeconomic apparatus. But it is not a blueprint that can be easily adopted or improved upon by other countries and cultures.<p>Yet there are no visible paths to workable alternatives (or complements) to the existing system. The simplicity of mapping everything onto a single monetary dimension has been such a successful monopoly and created incredibly strongly entrenched interests. It has left effectively no room for evolving any other broad-based economic infrastructure or tools that might expand what we optimize for to things that evidently matter.<p>People are frustrated and compile this or that index or meta-index but the expression "put money where your mouth is" neatly expresses the current impasse. Happy happiness day! [2]<p>[1] <a href="https://www.beyond-gdp.world/wise-database/wise-metrics" rel="nofollow">https://www.beyond-gdp.world/wise-database/wise-metrics</a><p>[2] <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Day_of_Happiness" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Day_of_Happiness</a>
This is a democratic worry: unhappy people are pliable people and are more likely to vote for demagogues, demagogues who are more a wrecking ball than a manager of state.
As a Brit who lived in the US a few years so maybe has a detached perspective.. I saw Americans being happy in a land of opportunity with high personal freedom, opportunity to reinvent yourself, the great outdoors etc, and certainly I enjoyed that too. OTOH, individualism has its dark side. When people believe its all about self-determination and the state shouldn't be helping people, some people fall massively through the cracks e:g someone on low income while they try to look after a disabled family member. Americans are often generous at helping each other, in fact ironically I found those that supported economically right-wing "everyone should pull themselves up by their bootstraps" ideology, could often be simultaneously generous to others that they perceived to be in need. I think a source of unhappiness in the USA might be loneliness. To be honest, reading Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little house on the prairie" series, while that sounds idyllic in a way, it also sounds lonely and hard work to me. So, some sources of lower happiness in the USA in terms of lack of community, might be deep-rooted? (some off the top of my head thoughts which others may dispute :). )
Unpaywalled reporting from a more international perspective at <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/mar/20/young-people-becoming-less-happy-than-older-generations-research-shows" rel="nofollow">https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/mar/20/young-people...</a> .<p>There are several front-page stories about youth happiness on the guardian today.<p>This struck me:<p>"""<p>It was the hush that worried the US’s top doctor as he toured the country’s university campuses last year.<p>Dr Vivek Murthy went to places including Duke, University of Texas and Arizona State, but so many youngsters were plugged into earphones and gazing into laptops and phones that it was incredibly quiet in the communal areas. Where was the loud chatter Murthy remembered from his college days?<p>"""<p>from <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2024/mar/20/vivek-murthy-us-surgeon-general-social-media-youth-happiness" rel="nofollow">https://www.theguardian.com/media/2024/mar/20/vivek-murthy-u...</a>
Direct link <a href="https://happiness-report.s3.amazonaws.com/2024/WHR+24.pdf" rel="nofollow">https://happiness-report.s3.amazonaws.com/2024/WHR+24.pdf</a>
Recently learned about the existence of the Wellbeing Economy Alliance (WEAll) <a href="https://weall.org/" rel="nofollow">https://weall.org/</a>
Between the homeless camps, the thousand yard stare retail workers, the perpetually angry boomer ruling class, the isolating physical environments, the destruction of third spaces, the medical bankruptcies, the lack of any kind of sick leave or vacation, the death race daily commutes, i thought this was pretty obvious
The list…<p>World’s 20 Happiest Countries In 2024:<p>Finland<p>Denmark<p>Iceland<p>Sweden<p>Israel<p>Netherlands<p>Norway<p>Luxembourg<p>Switzerland<p>Australia<p>New Zealand<p>Costa Rica<p>Kuwait<p>Austria<p>Canada<p>Belgium<p>Ireland<p>Czechia<p>Lithuania<p>United Kingdom