World Happiness Report

[Isabeau]

US outranked Canada this year.

Quebec, if it was ranked on its own, comes in tied with 5th place Sweden. If you took it out of the Canadian results, Canada would drop even lower. Anyway, that’s what people here are talking about.

Made me wonder how each US state would rank individually, but I couldn’t find anything recent (2026).

The world's happiest countries for 2026 - and what they get right

From Nordic trust to Costa Rica's sense of community, residents explain what daily life looks like in the countries topping the 2026 World Happiness Report.

www.bbc.com

World Happiness Report shows nordic countries lead, Canada falls from top 20

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/ranked-the-worlds-happiest-and-unhappiest-countries/

 

[Noodles]

I don't understand how the US is so high. Literally everything is shit.

 

[GoblinCampFollower]

I don't understand how the US is so high. Literally everything is shit.

I've read a lot about these surveys and there is some interesting psychology behind how a culture might describe the same level of happiness in a survey. For example, some depressed people might say they are happy because nothing is "wrong" in their life to actively make them unhappy. On the other hand, someone who is quite happy might say no because they aren't rich. I do think these results have meaning, but shouldn't be seen as a true reflection of what's really going on.

I also bet the USA's number is inflated by blind nationalism. If you THINK you are in the greatest country ever and your guy is in charge, it's easy to be in denial of the growing problems.

 

[Isabeau]

Related

 

[Sid]

I've read a lot about these surveys and there is some interesting psychology behind how a culture might describe the same level of happiness in a survey. For example, some depressed people might say they are happy because nothing is "wrong" in their life to actively make them unhappy. On the other hand, someone who is quite happy might say no because they aren't rich. I do think these results have meaning, but shouldn't be seen as a true reflection of what's really going on.

I also bet the USA's number is inflated by blind nationalism. If you THINK you are in the greatest country ever and your guy is in charge, it's easy to be in denial of the growing problems.

Very true, most people only know their own situation and have no real comparison.
If you're poor, you are happy with enough food. If you have everything, you might become unhappy because the neighbors can afford a tat bigger smart TV and a brand new car.
Once you are rich, you can be very unhappy because there are 50 people with more billions lying around than you have. They can feel like poor bastards because the only have 145 of them.
It is all very relative.

 

[Essence Lumin]

Once you are rich, you can be very unhappy

Certainly Trump and Musk don't seem like the happiest of people.

 

[GoblinCampFollower]

Very true, most people only know their own situation and have no real comparison.
If your poor, you are happy with enough food. If you have everything, you might become unhappy because the neighbors can afford a tat bigger smart TV and a brand new car.
Once you are rich, you can be very unhappy because there are 50 people with more billions lying around than you have. They can feel like poor bastards because the only have 145 of them.
It is all very relative.

YEP! I make decent money doing what I do and some of the people I know who fought hard to climb into higher positions do NOT seem to be happier than me. Happiness is complicated and very relative to expectations.

I also have seen first hand how being quite well off can FEEL like failure when you are surrounded with even more "successful" people.

I actually got a lot happier when I realized I didn't even want some of the classic "life script" stuff I grew up thinking I was supposed to want.

...and I just accept I can't do very much about some of the really big problems going on right now other than voting, some donations and small activist gestures.

 

[Soen Eber]

WalletHub has a ranking for states, but it's almost certainly using different metrics than the global survey.

I know I shouldn't be, but I'm very slightly bummed that my state isn't in the top 10. It's 11th.

 

[Free]

WalletHub has a ranking for states, but it's almost certainly using different metrics than the global survey.

50 West Virginia

lol

9 out of the 10 bottom listed are Southern states, and Alaska. Alaska being the most Northern Southern state. (Sure, there's a couple in the West, but...Southwest.)

 

[Sid]

50 West Virginia

So why the heck was John Denver singing Country Roads than?

 

[Essence Lumin]

WalletHub has a ranking for states, but it's almost certainly using different metrics than the global survey.

I know I shouldn't be, but I'm very slightly bummed that my state isn't in the top 10. It's 11th.

NJ ranks #1 for emotional and physical well being, 4 overall.

 

[Soen Eber]

I'm actually far more interested in the State Democracy Index. Guess what happens when they differentiate by party in part 4?

Main page for the site is State Democracy Index | Democracy Policy Lab

 

[Free]

So why the heck was John Denver singing Country Roads than?

Those mountain people are dang burn crazy.

 

[Casey Pelous]

So why the heck was John Denver singing Country Roads than?

Probably was a Country Road taking him the hell out of West Virginia.

 

[Casey Pelous]

Now I feel compelled to add that West Virginia does contain some of the most beautiful mountain country in the world. The joke is that if you flattened it out it would be as big as Texas.

 

[Free]

The joke is that if you flattened it out it would be as big as Texas.

That's not very funny.

 

[Casey Pelous]

That's not very funny.

I reckon you had to be there.