Looking for happiness in the wrong place
Richard Turen
I am feeling good today. This column is being written in real time — I am going to be opening and reading the 2025 World Happiness Report as I write, and I am feeling this great sense of optimism and joy. Perhaps the U.S. will, as we should, top the list. Aren't we the country with the statistically "happiest" citizens on Earth?
Do we really have any major issues to keep us from achieving our goal? Don't we have the world's highest standard of living, world-class healthcare available to all and a nation united in its political beliefs? Don't tourists from all over the world want to visit us on vacation to share time with our happy citizens? Don't our North American neighbors welcome us with open arms?
Our citizens are supportive of our efforts in travel. I am truly moved, for instance, by the sheer number of people — millions — who have taken an interest in improving our travel products. I don't know if you've seen those red hats that proclaim "Make American Great Again." Even our president wears one. As an AA frequent flyer and supporter, I am grateful to the millions who are wearing their caps in support of my airline.
So, I am opening the report now; give me a few moments to digest the results. The report is a highly regarded collaboration between the U.N. Sustainable Development Solutions Network, Gallup polling of more than 100,000 world citizens and Oxford University.
Oops! The news is not good.
In 2024, there were 22 countries that ranked higher than the U.S. on the report. I am afraid that in 2025, we slipped to No. 24. Some of the major reasons for our positioning in terms of the happiness level of our average citizen: declining "joy" and "social trust" as major factors contributing toward increasing "polarization" in the U.S.
Our clients will want to visit countries where the locals are generally happy with their lives. So where should we be sending them?
Costa Rica came in at No. 6 and Mexico at No. 10. Yes, Mexico has far happier citizens than we do. Canada, Slovenia and Czechia are all in the top 20, along with Australia and New Zealand. Western European countries fill in most of the remaining gaps in the top 20.
Of course, the Nordic countries lead the list. Finland is No. 1, with Denmark a close second. It reminds me of the piece "60 Minutes" did several years ago about the report and the fact that the Danes did so well.
There was this incredible moment when Steve Kroft sat with a small cross-section of Danish citizens and explained that he and his crew had been in Copenhagen for a week and they were surprised that in one of the world's happiest countries, "we hardly saw any laughter, joke-telling or even very many smiling faces."
A young man on the panel in front of Kroft explained, "That is true. But smiling is not how we look at happiness. Happiness is when you go to bed at night and you just don't have major things to worry about like paying for college, receiving the best healthcare if you need it, being threatened by crime or losing your job. To us, happiness is really about what you don't have to worry about."
Noted.
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