1 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:07,040 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff from How Stuff Works, Hey, brain Stuff, 2 00:00:07,080 --> 00:00:10,440 Speaker 1: Lauren fog obamb Here. Those Nordic countries have done it again. 3 00:00:10,760 --> 00:00:14,760 Speaker 1: According to the eighteen World Happiness Report, Finland is the 4 00:00:14,880 --> 00:00:18,160 Speaker 1: happiest country in the world, making it a Nordic clean 5 00:00:18,280 --> 00:00:21,840 Speaker 1: sweep for five out of the past six World Happiness Reports. 6 00:00:21,840 --> 00:00:25,560 Speaker 1: Switzerland stole the top spot in and coming in second 7 00:00:25,680 --> 00:00:29,400 Speaker 1: is last year's champ Norway, followed by Denmark and Iceland. 8 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:33,360 Speaker 1: With their dominance of the happiness rankings, the Nordic countries 9 00:00:33,400 --> 00:00:35,320 Speaker 1: may have the rest of the world wondering whether the 10 00:00:35,560 --> 00:00:38,520 Speaker 1: recipe for true happiness involves an obsession with cured fish 11 00:00:38,560 --> 00:00:41,839 Speaker 1: and creative wood stacking. But a closer look at the 12 00:00:41,880 --> 00:00:45,720 Speaker 1: methodology behind the World Happiness Report reveals an interesting anomaly. 13 00:00:46,159 --> 00:00:49,199 Speaker 1: Depending on which survey questions you weigh higher on the 14 00:00:49,240 --> 00:00:52,680 Speaker 1: happiness scale, the Fins and Danes may not actually be 15 00:00:52,760 --> 00:00:56,279 Speaker 1: the happiest people on the planet. Instead, that distinction might 16 00:00:56,440 --> 00:01:00,000 Speaker 1: very well belong to Columbia, El Salvador and other relatively 17 00:01:00,080 --> 00:01:04,000 Speaker 1: poor Latin American countries. So how could Columbia, which ranks 18 00:01:04,040 --> 00:01:06,640 Speaker 1: thirty seven on this year's World Happiness Report, be the 19 00:01:06,680 --> 00:01:09,600 Speaker 1: real winner? The answer is that there are two distinct 20 00:01:09,600 --> 00:01:13,399 Speaker 1: ways of gauging happiness. The World Happiness Report relies on 21 00:01:13,480 --> 00:01:16,680 Speaker 1: data from the Gallop World Poll, a massive survey of 22 00:01:16,720 --> 00:01:19,400 Speaker 1: a hundred and sixty countries in a hundred and forty languages, 23 00:01:19,600 --> 00:01:23,399 Speaker 1: covering topics from government corruption to job security to lgbt 24 00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:28,520 Speaker 1: Q rights. The most recent report covers data from the 25 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:31,080 Speaker 1: section of the Gallop World Poll that asks people about 26 00:01:31,120 --> 00:01:34,200 Speaker 1: their personal well being. Includes twelve questions that are designed 27 00:01:34,200 --> 00:01:37,600 Speaker 1: to elicit two very different kinds of answers about happiness. 28 00:01:38,319 --> 00:01:41,200 Speaker 1: John Clifton is a global managing partner at Gallop and 29 00:01:41,319 --> 00:01:44,200 Speaker 1: remembers when the Gallop World Poll was first conceived in 30 00:01:44,240 --> 00:01:47,280 Speaker 1: two thousand five. He says that the survey design team 31 00:01:47,319 --> 00:01:50,639 Speaker 1: consulted with some top minds, including the Nobel Prize winners 32 00:01:50,720 --> 00:01:54,840 Speaker 1: Daniel Koneman, psychologist and economist Angus Deaton, and decided to 33 00:01:54,840 --> 00:01:57,840 Speaker 1: include two different types of happiness questions in the poll. 34 00:01:58,440 --> 00:02:01,280 Speaker 1: One that's an overall life of uation from zero to 35 00:02:01,360 --> 00:02:04,840 Speaker 1: ten and another that focuses on the emotional experiences of 36 00:02:04,920 --> 00:02:09,040 Speaker 1: daily life. Clifton says, we did it very intentionally. The 37 00:02:09,080 --> 00:02:11,600 Speaker 1: way we defined well being or what makes a great 38 00:02:11,639 --> 00:02:14,200 Speaker 1: life is how people live their life and how they 39 00:02:14,320 --> 00:02:18,440 Speaker 1: see their life, so we need metrics for each of them. 40 00:02:18,480 --> 00:02:21,760 Speaker 1: The life evaluation question, also known as Cantroll's Ladder, goes 41 00:02:21,800 --> 00:02:25,400 Speaker 1: like this. Please imagine a ladder with steps numbered from 42 00:02:25,480 --> 00:02:27,640 Speaker 1: zero at the bottom to ten at the top. The 43 00:02:27,680 --> 00:02:30,280 Speaker 1: top of the ladder represents the best possible life for you, 44 00:02:30,600 --> 00:02:33,120 Speaker 1: and the bottom of the ladder represents the worst possible 45 00:02:33,120 --> 00:02:35,680 Speaker 1: life for you. On which step of the ladder would 46 00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:38,520 Speaker 1: you say you personally feel you stand at this time. 47 00:02:39,760 --> 00:02:42,919 Speaker 1: What's interesting about this question is that people's responses track 48 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:45,960 Speaker 1: closely with income level. The more money you have, the 49 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:47,720 Speaker 1: more likely you are to say that your life is 50 00:02:47,720 --> 00:02:50,400 Speaker 1: an eight or nine on the ladder. Clifton thinks this 51 00:02:50,440 --> 00:02:53,799 Speaker 1: is because the question is essentially asking are you satisfied 52 00:02:53,919 --> 00:02:57,280 Speaker 1: with your life? Clifton said, when we're asking people to 53 00:02:57,280 --> 00:02:59,880 Speaker 1: reflect on their life and its totality, they're thinking about 54 00:03:00,040 --> 00:03:02,280 Speaker 1: basic needs, whether or not they're able to meet or 55 00:03:02,320 --> 00:03:05,440 Speaker 1: exceed basic needs, and one of the easiest ways to 56 00:03:05,440 --> 00:03:09,119 Speaker 1: do that is with money. The World Happiness Report, which 57 00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:12,919 Speaker 1: routinely ranks wealthy Nordic countries as the happiest, relies almost 58 00:03:12,960 --> 00:03:17,440 Speaker 1: exclusively on people's responses to the latter question. Beyond higher incomes, 59 00:03:17,480 --> 00:03:19,960 Speaker 1: Nordic countries also rank high on other metrics that the 60 00:03:20,040 --> 00:03:23,359 Speaker 1: World Happiness Report equates with well being, freedom, trust of 61 00:03:23,400 --> 00:03:28,040 Speaker 1: the government, long life expectancy, social support, and generosity. But 62 00:03:28,120 --> 00:03:30,680 Speaker 1: what about the second type of happiness question, the one 63 00:03:30,720 --> 00:03:34,160 Speaker 1: based on emotions and daily life experiences. In addition to 64 00:03:34,200 --> 00:03:37,120 Speaker 1: the latter question, the Gallop World Pole poses a series 65 00:03:37,160 --> 00:03:41,240 Speaker 1: of yesterday questions, asking people if they experienced specific positive 66 00:03:41,280 --> 00:03:44,760 Speaker 1: and negative emotions during the previous day, things like smiling 67 00:03:44,800 --> 00:03:49,360 Speaker 1: and laughter, respect, enjoyment, or worry, sadness, and anger. If 68 00:03:49,360 --> 00:03:52,440 Speaker 1: you equite happiness with high levels of positive daily experiences 69 00:03:52,440 --> 00:03:55,920 Speaker 1: and emotions, then several surprising countries come out on top, 70 00:03:55,960 --> 00:04:01,000 Speaker 1: according to Gallop data from Columbia, El Salvador and Guatemala. 71 00:04:01,160 --> 00:04:03,800 Speaker 1: In fact, of the ten countries that rank highest in 72 00:04:03,840 --> 00:04:08,120 Speaker 1: Gallops Positive Experience Index, seven are from Latin America. The 73 00:04:08,160 --> 00:04:10,480 Speaker 1: only Nordic country to make the cut is Iceland at 74 00:04:10,600 --> 00:04:14,400 Speaker 1: number eight. So the question is which is the more 75 00:04:14,440 --> 00:04:17,920 Speaker 1: accurate assessment of happiness, the latter question that favors Nordic 76 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:21,400 Speaker 1: countries or the experience questions that favor Latin American countries 77 00:04:21,600 --> 00:04:24,760 Speaker 1: and which Gallop uses in its own Global Emotions Report. 78 00:04:25,600 --> 00:04:29,039 Speaker 1: Clifton from Gallop says that both are useful. In his opinion, 79 00:04:29,160 --> 00:04:32,200 Speaker 1: the latter question is the best indicator for policymakers who 80 00:04:32,200 --> 00:04:34,680 Speaker 1: want a big picture metric of how a country is 81 00:04:34,680 --> 00:04:37,560 Speaker 1: doing in general, whether it's people are struggling or thriving. 82 00:04:38,120 --> 00:04:40,480 Speaker 1: In that way, the World Happiness Report gets it right, 83 00:04:41,320 --> 00:04:44,080 Speaker 1: but what that's gauging is probably closer to well being 84 00:04:44,400 --> 00:04:47,560 Speaker 1: than actual happiness. To really zero in on the complex 85 00:04:47,560 --> 00:04:51,800 Speaker 1: emotional state of happiness, Clifton says he prefers those yesterday responses, 86 00:04:52,240 --> 00:04:54,279 Speaker 1: but it's probably too late to change the name of 87 00:04:54,279 --> 00:04:57,080 Speaker 1: the World Happiness Report to the World Well Being Report, 88 00:04:57,400 --> 00:04:59,600 Speaker 1: and frankly, who would want to the former title is 89 00:04:59,600 --> 00:05:03,280 Speaker 1: waked year, Clifton said, the World Happiness Report is one 90 00:05:03,320 --> 00:05:05,880 Speaker 1: of the most, if not the most watched indices in 91 00:05:05,920 --> 00:05:08,240 Speaker 1: the world. You can ask anyone on the street who 92 00:05:08,279 --> 00:05:10,280 Speaker 1: is the happiest country in the world, and they'll tell 93 00:05:10,320 --> 00:05:12,560 Speaker 1: you it's Finland or Norway because they saw a headline 94 00:05:12,560 --> 00:05:16,240 Speaker 1: in the Economist. But the World Happiness Report has not 95 00:05:16,320 --> 00:05:21,040 Speaker 1: ignored the Latin American happiness paradox. Version includes a special 96 00:05:21,040 --> 00:05:24,040 Speaker 1: section on happiness in Latin America and notes that there 97 00:05:24,120 --> 00:05:26,880 Speaker 1: is a reasonable provision of public goods in the region, 98 00:05:26,960 --> 00:05:30,320 Speaker 1: as well as adequate health and education services. The strong 99 00:05:30,400 --> 00:05:33,840 Speaker 1: social connections and close family relationships provide very high levels 100 00:05:33,839 --> 00:05:37,360 Speaker 1: of emotional happiness. However, the high rates of crime, corruption, 101 00:05:37,440 --> 00:05:39,839 Speaker 1: and poverty in many Latin American countries caused them to 102 00:05:39,920 --> 00:05:48,400 Speaker 1: lose points on a general well being scale. Today's episode 103 00:05:48,440 --> 00:05:50,799 Speaker 1: was written by Dave Ruse and produced by Tyler Clang. 104 00:05:51,200 --> 00:05:53,520 Speaker 1: For more on this and lots of other satisfying topics, 105 00:05:53,640 --> 00:06:07,279 Speaker 1: visit our home planet, how stuff works dot com.