Earlier today a friend sent me a text, “This article literally says move to the Netherlands for happiness!” Interesting timing I thought. The article she was referring to was “Yale’s Happiness Professor Says Anxiety Is Destroying Her Students,” by The New York Times’ David Marchese. For the article, Marchese interviewed Yale cognitive scientist Laurie Santos. The “happiness” professor developed a class Psychology and the Good Life in 2018, which became one of the school’s most highly subscribed courses, and a podcast The Happiness Lab.
So what does this all have to do with THE NETHERLANDS?
Santos notes that research has shown that immersing people into a new culture can change their behaviors. “You move to the Netherlands, you’ll be happier.” Indeed, the World Happiness Report, yes there is such a thing, has recognized THE NETHERLANDS in fifth place for several years, up from sixth. The report is based on data from Gallup World Poll and looks specifically at six factors – levels of GDP, life expectancy, generosity, social support, freedom, and corruption.
If you look at the top ten happiest countries in 2021, based on the survey, you will find an interesting geographical pattern,
World’s happiest countries 2021
1. Finland
2. Iceland
3. Denmark
4. Switzerland
5. Netherlands
6. Sweden
7. Germany
8. Norway
9. New Zealand
10. Austria
Do you notice anything about this group? All but one of these countries is in northern Europe. In comparison, the United States ranked 14th and Canada ranked 15th. So I guess the change of pace and scenery are a good thing.
Red, White and Tulips 