The Explanation

Isn't it obvious? I'm waiting for someone to say it.





It's all those gays getting married!!

Happiest Place On Earth

A while back I wrote about the possible implications of the economic meltdown, wondering aloud whether it could lead to a reordering of priorities. Implying that those countries whose economies were more "socialistic" (that oft-used and frequently misconstrued buzzword) than ours might actually be happier, I suggested it wasn't so bad. My gosh, I might have been right.

According to a new report released by the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), a Paris-based group of 30 countries with democratic governments that provides economic and social statistics and data, happiness levels are highest in northern European countries.

First was Finland, then Denmark, then the Netherlands. Among many interesting statements:

Overall economic health played a powerful role, says Simon Chapple, senior economist from the Social Policy Division of the OECD, which put together the report.

Also:

While the global economic crisis has taken a toll on every nation, the countries that scored at the top still boast some of the highest gross domestic product per capita in the world. Denmark, which got the highest score, is not only a wealthy country, it's also highly productive, with a 2009 GDP per capita of $68,000, according to the International Monetary Fund. The United States' GDP per capita, by contrast, is $47,335. Though the U.S. got an above-average score of 74, it did not break the top 10.

So much for the idea that having social programs such as health care, education, and retirement covered by the government leads to low productivity, or a bunch of zombies. Likewise:

Wealth alone does not bring the greatest degree of happiness. Norway has the highest GDP per capita on the list--$98,822--yet it ranked ninth, not first. On the other hand, New Zealand's happiness level is 76.7 out of 100 on the OECD list, but its 2009 GDP per capita is just $30,556.

I think a single such study can't be considered definitive. Yet it's in concordance with what seems intuitively obvious: in the US we've lost sight of what's important. Ironically, it's the party of so-called family values and of a self-proclaimed higher level of godliness that seems to be the one fomenting the most divisiveness, the most fear, the most reactionary response to those things that in fact seem to make for happy families. Strange, isn't it?
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