The 16th Happiest Country

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports on the University of Michigan happiness index that puts the United States at #16 out of 97 countries surveyed. Social scientists are perpetually trying to measure happiness, which seems to be, on the surface, difficult to measure.

Happiness in this country is often proportional to prosperity levels, or in other words, how much money you have. If money really did equal happiness though, the U.S. would be #1 with Japan following, but this is not the case. The current political situation, and the economic downturn have brought us down. Still, factors like gender equality, high levels of freedom and tolerance of diversity all contributed to the U.S.’s relatively good position on the list.

What about your own happiness index? Looking at your own life and at your quest to be happier, what do you think changes your happiness level for the better or worse?