Who's the happiest of them all? According to the latest World Happiness Report, it's Finland - ranked the world's happiest country for the eighth year in a row.
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00:00Who's the happiest of them all?
00:03According to the latest World Happiness Report, it's Finland, which has been ranked as the
00:07world's happiest country for the eighth year in a row.
00:10Experts say its strong welfare system, access to nature and high levels of social trust
00:15play a big role in keeping people there content.
00:18Finland isn't alone at the top.
00:20Three other Nordic countries also made it to the top five, with Denmark, Iceland and
00:24Sweden all ranking highly for life satisfaction.
00:27This year's report, released to mark the UN's International Day of Happiness, also
00:31saw some surprising shifts in the rankings.
00:34Costa Rica and Mexico have entered the top ten for the first time, ahead of many wealthier
00:38nations.
00:39Researchers say strong family ties and community connections help boost their scores, showing
00:44that happiness isn't just about money or economic success, it's also about social
00:49bonds and a sense of belonging.
00:51However, not every country is moving in the right direction.
00:54Both the US and UK have fallen down the rankings, now sitting at twenty-fourth and twenty-third
00:59place.
01:00For the United States, that's its lowest ever ranking in the report's history.
01:04The findings suggest that declining happiness and lower social trust may be contributing
01:09to growing divisions in parts of Europe and America.
01:13Experts say political polarization and social isolation are key factors in why some countries
01:18are slipping down the list.
01:19One of the most interesting discoveries this year was about kindness and generosity.
01:24The study found that people tend to underestimate the kindness of strangers, but in reality,
01:29they're about twice as generous as we assume.
01:32To test this, researchers conducted a wallet experiment, deliberately losing wallets in
01:37different locations and measuring how many were returned.
01:41The results showed that people were far more likely to hand them in than expected, proving
01:46that trust and goodwill may be stronger than we think.
01:49Experts say that believing in the kindness of others is closely tied to happiness.
01:54People who trust those around them and feel connected to their community tend to report
01:58higher life satisfaction.
02:00This links to another key finding.
02:03Sharing meals with others was found to be strongly linked to well-being worldwide, reinforcing
02:08the idea that social interaction plays a vital role in happiness.
02:12The report also found that household size matters, with families of four or five people
02:17reporting the highest happiness levels, particularly in Mexico and Europe.
02:21So while Finland remains at the top, the report suggests that happiness isn't just about
02:25where you live.
02:26It's about how you connect with those around you.