“Beyond Happiness: Exploring Cultural Perspectives on Well-Being”
For the seventh consecutive year, Happiness Finland secures the top position as the world’s happiest nation, as revealed by the 2024 World Happiness Report, published on March 20. As customary, the remaining Nordic countries—Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, and Norway—also grace the top 10 rankings.
Happiness
Since the United Nations General Assembly designated March 20 as International Day of Happiness in 2012, an alliance of international agencies has been annually releasing these s rankings along with comprehensive reports on well-being. These rankings serve as a metric for national success beyond economic indicators like gross domestic product, fostering policies that promote well-being and surpass mere economic growth.
However, while transcending conventional economic metrics is beneficial, the definition of isn’t universally standardized. Macropsychologist Kuba Krys from the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw cautions against making broad assertions based on such cross-cultural comparisons, emphasizing the influence of culture on individuals’ perceptions of happiness.
Moreover, the current definition of may harbor a Western bias, common in societies characterized as WEIRD—Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic, according to Krys.
The rankings in the report hinge on responses to a single question in the Gallup World Poll, asking individuals to rate their life satisfaction on a ladder scale from 0 to 10. However, concerns arise regarding the comparability of these scores across countries due to cultural variations in interpreting and responding to such surveys.
For instance, studies reveal that individuals in low-ranking countries may struggle to comprehend the question, leading to inconsistent responses. Additionally, cultural factors like the fear of expressing high levels of can influence survey responses, particularly outside the Western context.
Research also indicates diverse cultural ideals of happiness, with individuals in different countries holding varying perceptions of an “ideal” level of happiness. These cultural nuances challenge the universality of rankings.
While adjustments could potentially reflect cultural ideals of happiness, such a narrow focus on overlooks other aspects of a fulfilling life, such as harmony and spirituality, which are more valued in non-Western cultures.
Efforts are underway to explore alternative measures of well-being beyond happiness in the World Happiness Report, acknowledging the diverse global perspectives on what constitutes a good life. Lara Aknin, a social psychologist at Simon Fraser University and a report co-editor, highlights the importance of balance and harmony, which are universally valued concepts.
Krys and other experts advocate for a broader spectrum of well-being rankings in the report, recognizing that happiness is not the sole aim of human existence.
