Senate Member
Posts: 6,020 
July 14th, 2006, 10:07 AM
One of the world's smallest countries, Vanuatu is also the happiest. Not surprisingly, the British are happier than the French, the Canadians and the Americans.
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Vanuatu is world's happiest country: study Wed Jul 12, 11:08 AM ET
LONDON (AFP) - The tiny South Pacific Ocean archipelago of Vanuatu is the happiest country on Earth, according to a study published measuring people's wellbeing and their impact on the environment.
Colombia (!!!), Costa Rica, Dominica and Panama complete the top five in the Happy Planet Index, compiled by the British think-tank New Economics Foundation (NEF).
The index combines life satisfaction, life expectancy and environmental footprint -- the amount of land required to sustain the population and absorb its energy consumption.
Zimbabwe came bottom of the 178 countries ranked, below second-worst performer Swaziland, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ukraine.
The Group of Eight industrial powers meet in Saint Petersburg this weekend but have not much to smile about, according to the index.
Italy came out best in 66th place, ahead of Germany (81), Japan (95), Britain (10
, Canada (111), France (129), the United States (150) and Russia, in lowly 172nd place.
Andrew Simms, NEF's policy director, said the index "addresses the relative success or failure of countries in giving their citizens a good life while respecting the environmental resource limits on which all our lives depend."
Nic Marks, the head of NEF's centre for wellbeing, added: "It is clear that no single nation listed in the Happy Planet Index has got everything right.
"But the index does reveal patterns that show how we might better achieve long and happy lives for all, whilst living within our environmental means," he said, according to British daily The Guardian.
"The challenge is: can we learn the lessons and apply them?"
Island nations performed particularly well in the rankings. But Vanuatu, with a population of around 200,000, topped them all.
"Don't tell too many people, please," said Marke Lowen of Vanuatu Online, the republic's online newspaper.
"People are generally happy here because they are very satisfied with very little," he told The Guardian.
"This is not a consumer-driven society. Life here is about community and family and goodwill to other people. It's a place where you don't worry too much."
"The only things we fear are cyclones or earthquakes."
Selected others: 17. Philippines; 23. Indonesia; 31. China; 32. Thailand; 44. Malaysia; 62. India; 64. Iceland; 70. Netherlands; 87. Spain; 88. Hong Kong; 89. Saudi Arabia; 99. Denmark; 112. Pakistan; 115. Norway; 119. Sweden; 123. Finland; 139. Australia; 154. UAE; 156. South Africa; 159. Kuwait; 166. Qatar.
www.yahoo.com
One of the world's smallest countries, Vanuatu is also the happiest. Not surprisingly, the British are happier than the French, the Canadians and the Americans.
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Vanuatu is world's happiest country: study Wed Jul 12, 11:08 AM ET
LONDON (AFP) - The tiny South Pacific Ocean archipelago of Vanuatu is the happiest country on Earth, according to a study published measuring people's wellbeing and their impact on the environment.
Colombia (!!!), Costa Rica, Dominica and Panama complete the top five in the Happy Planet Index, compiled by the British think-tank New Economics Foundation (NEF).
The index combines life satisfaction, life expectancy and environmental footprint -- the amount of land required to sustain the population and absorb its energy consumption.
Zimbabwe came bottom of the 178 countries ranked, below second-worst performer Swaziland, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ukraine.
The Group of Eight industrial powers meet in Saint Petersburg this weekend but have not much to smile about, according to the index.
Italy came out best in 66th place, ahead of Germany (81), Japan (95), Britain (10
, Canada (111), France (129), the United States (150) and Russia, in lowly 172nd place.Andrew Simms, NEF's policy director, said the index "addresses the relative success or failure of countries in giving their citizens a good life while respecting the environmental resource limits on which all our lives depend."
Nic Marks, the head of NEF's centre for wellbeing, added: "It is clear that no single nation listed in the Happy Planet Index has got everything right.
"But the index does reveal patterns that show how we might better achieve long and happy lives for all, whilst living within our environmental means," he said, according to British daily The Guardian.
"The challenge is: can we learn the lessons and apply them?"
Island nations performed particularly well in the rankings. But Vanuatu, with a population of around 200,000, topped them all.
"Don't tell too many people, please," said Marke Lowen of Vanuatu Online, the republic's online newspaper.
"People are generally happy here because they are very satisfied with very little," he told The Guardian.
"This is not a consumer-driven society. Life here is about community and family and goodwill to other people. It's a place where you don't worry too much."
"The only things we fear are cyclones or earthquakes."
Selected others: 17. Philippines; 23. Indonesia; 31. China; 32. Thailand; 44. Malaysia; 62. India; 64. Iceland; 70. Netherlands; 87. Spain; 88. Hong Kong; 89. Saudi Arabia; 99. Denmark; 112. Pakistan; 115. Norway; 119. Sweden; 123. Finland; 139. Australia; 154. UAE; 156. South Africa; 159. Kuwait; 166. Qatar.
www.yahoo.com
Knows No Bounds
Posts: 3,154
July 14th, 2006, 11:21 AM
""Don't tell too many people, please," said Marke Lowen of Vanuatu Online, the republic's online newspaper.
"People are generally happy here because they are very satisfied with very little," he told The Guardian.
"This is not a consumer-driven society. Life here is about community and family and goodwill to other people. It's a place where you don't worry too much."
That's strange and certainly reflective of the haphazard and poorly monitored nature of surveys: a penpal I had on the island flotilla insisted the locals were awash in petty corruption and non-stop little quarrels about the stupidest little thing.
Ah, academics: can anyone take them seriously?
""Don't tell too many people, please," said Marke Lowen of Vanuatu Online, the republic's online newspaper.
"People are generally happy here because they are very satisfied with very little," he told The Guardian.
"This is not a consumer-driven society. Life here is about community and family and goodwill to other people. It's a place where you don't worry too much."
That's strange and certainly reflective of the haphazard and poorly monitored nature of surveys: a penpal I had on the island flotilla insisted the locals were awash in petty corruption and non-stop little quarrels about the stupidest little thing.
Ah, academics: can anyone take them seriously?
sick and twisted
Posts: 2,362
Location: Backwater, Ontario.
Location: Backwater, Ontario.
July 15th, 2006, 06:36 AM
Parts of Canada could qualify for "world's happiest".
People walking around with great big permanent grins on their faces.
Course they have drool coming out of the sides of their mouths, their eyes are vacant, and their "happy land" has barred windows and chain link with razor wire.
Happy none the less
P.S. Too bad the word got out about Boola Boola Land. There will now be an infestation of tourists. Once the inhabitants find out what they're "missing", STD, drugs, aids, run by shootings (no cars), rapes, murders:...........In short, civilization will happen to them
Parts of Canada could qualify for "world's happiest".
People walking around with great big permanent grins on their faces.
Course they have drool coming out of the sides of their mouths, their eyes are vacant, and their "happy land" has barred windows and chain link with razor wire.
Happy none the less
P.S. Too bad the word got out about Boola Boola Land. There will now be an infestation of tourists. Once the inhabitants find out what they're "missing", STD, drugs, aids, run by shootings (no cars), rapes, murders:...........In short, civilization will happen to them
Mighty Intellect
Posts: 1,927
July 15th, 2006, 07:11 AM
I dont know how blackleaf has managed to make a post about the happiest nations on earth and still managed to include the UK in the post, were some of the miserablist (is that a word?...it is now) people on the planet.
I think it comes down to this line from an American I know:
"All that british empire and you still managed to end up in that miserable little island" lol semi-true...
But personally I think happiness is sort of joint with a relaxed attitude, places like the caribean or the tropics like Goa in india, now theyre very laid back, and seem very happy with their lot, most of em, even if they dont have much.
I dont know how blackleaf has managed to make a post about the happiest nations on earth and still managed to include the UK in the post, were some of the miserablist (is that a word?...it is now) people on the planet.
I think it comes down to this line from an American I know:
"All that british empire and you still managed to end up in that miserable little island" lol semi-true...
But personally I think happiness is sort of joint with a relaxed attitude, places like the caribean or the tropics like Goa in india, now theyre very laid back, and seem very happy with their lot, most of em, even if they dont have much.
Hall of Fame Member
Posts: 10,496
Location: The Evil Empire
Location: The Evil Empire
July 15th, 2006, 08:20 AM
Of course they are happy, they pay no taxes, no income tax, no capital gains tax, no real estate tax, no inheritance tax, nothing.
And they receive over $50 million a year in aid primarily from Australia and secondly from the US and the UK.
Everytime they get hit by a tsunami or earthquake, the unhappier wealthier dolts pay for everything.
Of course they are happy, they pay no taxes, no income tax, no capital gains tax, no real estate tax, no inheritance tax, nothing.
And they receive over $50 million a year in aid primarily from Australia and secondly from the US and the UK.
Everytime they get hit by a tsunami or earthquake, the unhappier wealthier dolts pay for everything.
Newbie
Posts: 32
Location: Vancouver
Location: Vancouver
July 15th, 2006, 01:23 PM
Quoting
So true. The trick is to live in a country where everyone is on equal footing economically. It's human nature to want shiny things, and very hard to ignore them when they're all around you.
Did anyone notice that not a single rich nation made it into the top contenders.
Material wealth obviously has little to do with satisfaction.
Material wealth obviously has little to do with satisfaction.
