Happiness is a state of mind. It can also be a place. So where do happy people live? The UN answered this question in its World Happiness Report released last week to celebrate the International Day of Happiness on March 20. The report has been around since 2012, thanks to Bhutan's initiating the launch of an international focus on happiness.
The report measures subjective well-being in 155 countries. Its happiness ranking is based on six factors: longer healthy years of life, social support, trust in government, freedom to make life choices, higher GDP per capita and generosity.
At the top of the list again this year is a Nordic country. The top 10 countries are in fact the same as last year, with some changes in ranking. Norway has been crowned the world's happiest country, rising from fourth place to first and replacing last year's champion, Denmark.
As the study also takes into account social factors apart from economic data, Norway came out on top even though falling oil prices have hit its economy. On the other hand, happiness in the United States declined despite improving economic growth.
There is no denying that economic factors remain an important driver in achieving social harmony and overall happiness. This is why Europe and North America are consistently in the top rankings while sub-Saharan African and conflict-prone countries have predictably low scores.
In addition to Norway and Denmark, the top 10 contained Iceland, Switzerland, Finland, the Netherlands, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Sweden. The US was 14th, Germany 16th and the United Kingdom 19th. The bottom spots were taken by some of the world's poorest countries, among them Rwanda, Syria, Tanzania, Burundi and the Central African Republic.
Thailand moved up one spot to 32nd, making it the happiest country in Asia after Singapore (26th).
The dominance of the Nordic countries -- and Denmark in particular -- in recent years has led to the question: Why is the region so happy?
The reasons behind Nordic happiness cannot be explained simply. Economic factors are certainly important. All five Nordic nations are in the top 20 countries in terms of GDP per capita, and all have good life expectancy. They also have very high tax rates. High-income Danes, for example, pay up to 51.5%. However, taxes are reinvested in society through comprehensive social programmes, such as free healthcare and university education, generous maternity leave, and unemployment benefits.
But a high tax rate is only one piece of a complicated cultural puzzle. The enduring success of Denmark has popularised the cultural concept of "hygge", or self-care through small, comfortable indulgences, which helps to keep people going through the long winter -- a key part of what makes the Danes and other cultures with similar practices, such as the Swedes or Norwegians, so happy.
Some say happiness also stems from community and state support programmes for those in need. People want to feel secure, and they also benefit from having a community that they can count on -- an environment that the Scandinavian countries create better than most.
Interestingly, however, some argue that Danes may simply have low expectations. Despite all the good reasons why Danes deserve their happy reputation, I think the expectation explanation is quite convincing. I once asked a Danish friend why Danes were so happy. He said the main reason was that they didn't have many ambitions.
After all, happiness is a strange thing. It usually comes when we are not looking for it, and there is a scientific reason for this. Earlier this month, Prof Wolfram Schultz of Cambridge University won the Brain Prize, the world's largest neuroscience award, for his analysis of how the brain recognises and processes rewards. He has long studied the link between dopamine (a chemical produced in the brain that acts like a neurotransmitter and regulates our pleasure) and expectations. He found that when we receive a reward, dopamine levels increase, and unexpected rewards lead to more dopamine release than expected ones. On the other hand, if our expectations are not met, dopamine levels decrease sharply.
A surprise salary increase, even a small amount, can positively affect your brain chemistry more than an expected pay rise. In sports, equalising after being behind in a game makes you feel happier than being ahead and then drawing, even if they lead to exactly the same result.
Although Thailand may not make it to the top 10 of the World Happiness Report, partly due to economic constraints, the Thai way of life is still something to smile about. Thai people are courteous, friendly and helpful. The right balance of expectations is probably one of the reasons why Thailand is called the Land of Smiles.
The Danish hygge concept is not formally defined here in Thailand, but it is deeply ingrained in our lives. As a Buddhist nation, Thais are raised to take things with positive and laid-back attitudes, even in hard times. And that, I think, makes a happy country.
Dr Tientip Subhanij holds a PhD in economics from the University of Cambridge and has a career in banking and academia. She can be reached at tien201@yahoo.com