We may be one of the richest nations on the planet, but we are far from being the happiest. Why does this matter? Many will say happiness over money. But, both is good too. Why not be happy and rich? There are many reasons as to why we are no longer close to the top on the list of happiest on the planet.
According to the UN’s Happiest Countries Index of 2018, the United States is at the 18th mark. Whereas, Finland is at the very top at number one. Norway coming in second and then Denmark in third (World Happiness Report).
It’s very difficult to try to quantify a thing such as a countries happiness, but they manage to do it. “The report ranks 156 countries across six factors including GDP, life 
expectancy, social support, generosity, and freedom and corruption. And this year for the first time the UN has also assessed the happiness levels of immigrants in 117 of those countries” (Madden).
Finland made the top for many reasons, but one of those is due to the environmental standards. “5.5 million residents enjoy more forest per square mile than any European country, extremely high environmental standards, and a very low threat level making it one of the most peaceful places on Earth” (Madden). Now, I’m sure you want to visit or even live in Finland now.
When it comes to the United States though, we rank at number 18. How can this be? Land of the free and promised? Since the index is based on economic growth and happiness of people’s lives with life expectancy and other factors, I think it’s easy to see why we aren’t the happiest. With terrorism rising, concerns for gun safety, and mental health issues increasing, it’s going downhill. We were even placed four ranks down from the year before.
Someone in the article has said that ““Some of these other aspects of life, like trust and social connections and so on have been weakening during this time period” Helliwell said” (Pappas). Another reason the happiness in the U.S. has fallen is due to the epidemic of obesity and substance abuse.
There’s nothing that you can really do about a countries overall happiness unless we start living longer and providing better health and mental care. That said, we should rely on a chart to say who is happier. Look at your own country and use your right to get the word out there on issues that need to be addressed.
To conclude, the UN released the 2018 happiness report for countries. However, since the United States is ranked at 18th this time, it could be a little confusing as to why. Even though we are one of the richest nations. However, rich doesn’t always mean happy. Qatar is regarded as the richest country in the world right now, but it is ranked at number 32 on the index. I think we should take note from what the top three countries are doing and integrate that into ours.
Hetter, Katia. “This Is the World’s Happiest Country.” CNN, Cable News Network, 15 Mar. 2018, www.cnn.com/travel/article/worlds-happiest-countries-united-nations-2018/index.html.
Madden, Duncan. “Ranked: The 10 Happiest Countries In The World In 2018.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 27 Mar. 2018, www.forbes.com/sites/duncanmadden/2018/03/27/ranked-the-10-happiest-countries-in-the-world-in-2018/#ce0405c73e91.
Pappas, Stephanie. “US Happy, But Not Happiest, New UN Report Finds.” LiveScience, Purch, 4 Apr. 2012, www.livescience.com/19486-world-happiness-united-nations.html.
“World Happiness Report 2018.” World Happiness Report, World Happiness Report, 14 Mar. 2018, worldhappiness.report/ed/2018/.
