Finland ranked as the world's happiest country for the eighth straight year in the World Happiness Report, with locals and experts thanking its grand lakes and strong welfare system for boosting its mood.
The United States fell to 24th place, its lowest score since the report was first published in 2012, when it recorded its highest showing at number 11.
In 2023, roughly one in four Americans reported eating all their meals alone the previous day, the report said.
It also noted that the United States was one of few countries to see a rise of so-called “deaths of despair” -- from suicide or substance abuse -- at a time when those deaths are declining in a majority of countries.
Nordic countries all stayed among the 10 happiest, with Denmark, Iceland and Sweden trailing Finland, which slightly extended its lead over runner-up Denmark.
The happiness ranking is based on a three-year average of individuals' self-assessed evaluations of life satisfaction, as well as GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity and corruption.
“It seems that Finnish people are relatively satisfied with their lives,“ Frank Martela, an assistant professor specialised in well-being and happiness research at Aalto University, told AFP.
“Democracy is functioning well, we have free elections, free speech, low levels of corruption and all of these have shown to predict higher levels of national well-being,“ Martela said.
Eveliina Ylitolonen, a 23-year-old student in Helsinki, said she believed that Finns' focus on enjoying beautiful nature could help explain the consistently high level of happiness in the Nordic country, known for its deep forests and over 160,000 lakes.
Jamie Sarja-Lambert, a professional video gamer who moved to Finland from the United Kingdom, agreed.
This year, the authors of the happiness report said new evidence indicates that engaging in acts of generosity and believing in the kindness of others are “significant predictors of happiness, even more so than earning a higher salary”.
Nordic countries also “rank among the top places for expected and actual return of lost wallets”.
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