A recent study trying to establish which countries are "happiest" found a correlation between wealth and happiness (IE. Countries which rated higher levels of "happiness" were generally countries with higher income earning populations.).
I looked up some statistics myself trying to see if income discrepency played a role in LESS happiness, and although very limited sampling, (first world) countries with higher income discrepancy DID rank lower than countries with more equal distribution of wealth.
Surprisingly (to me), Norway has the highest proportion of millionaires (per capita), yet ranks 3rd in "happiness".
The Gini coefficient is a measure of the inequality of a distribution which has been used to measure inequalities in different disciplines including economics.
Using the Gini coefficient, Norway ranks higher (IE. Less inequality) than countries such as Japan, USA, and Canada. Not surprisingly, these countries rank lower in happiness.
So as much as money is a major contributor to happiness, (a sense) of (more) equality may be even more influential.
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2 comments:
regarding your thoughts on money/happiness, you quoted that norway has the highest number of millionaires per capita.. BUT did you know that Norway ALSO has among the highest number of suicides per capita too?? and is consistently in the top 10% in the World for suicide rates? that kind of goes completely against the preconceived western ideal that material wealth= happiness dont you think? whereas in poorer countries, suicide rates tend to be lower.. perhaps then, those who have little to strive for are more prone to depression, whereas the rest are too busy trying to survive..
Thanks for the info Alan. I had not looked up suicide rates, but indeed suicide, depression and (lack of) happiness are correlated.
As you say, perhaps first world (western) countries have populations who have less "urgent" needs (IE. Survival), and the mere search for a higher standard of living (IE. Money) is not sufficient for happiness.
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