World's Happiest Countries

@LandOfOz That was my initial thought too. Have to assume the data was acquired before the attack. But even then, a lot of Israel has tensions.

@CrazyMusicLover I got curious. It's actually a far less suicide rate than the U.S. That's true of all the Nordic countries.

@Ynotisay This is interesting. I remember that in the past, they were saying that Finland and Hungary had it the worst.

@CrazyMusicLover I was a little surprised too because I've seen articles on the correlation between suicide and a lack of sunlight. But according to WHO it looks like poverty, and violent environments, might drive it more. Although S. Korea has a high rate so there might be some societal pressures involved too.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_suicide_rate

@robertsnj Good question. Got me curious. Per the GINI index it appears that the Nordic countries represent the lowest levels of wealth disparity in the world. In the top ten, both Israel and Australia were substantially higher. As is the U.S. Slovakia had the overall lowest. Generally lower poverty rates too.

@BlueGreenGrey No. The country was divided when the previous Prime Minister imposed a Covid mandate a week after she said publicly that she wouldn't. As a result, large numbers of people lost their jobs. The country became camps of the vaxxed, who thought the PM walked on water, and the unvaxxed, who doubted her claims that an untested vaccine would protect them and prevent transmission of the virus. The scars of that divide remain today, with a lot of resentment towards authority. The previous government was also soft on crime, with the result that figures for theft, burglary, assault and retail crime have soared. The country has experienced soaring inflation due to the previous government's failed fiscal efforts to get the country through the extended periods of lockdown. As a result, housing and rent costs have soared, and many more people are dependent on food banks. Overworked doctors and nurses have left in droves for other countries, particularly Australia, where they can earn much more in less stressed conditions, and where the cost of living is lower. Consequently the health sector is in crisis.

@sstronaut Yeah. Not sure if it's a coincidence.

@Ynotisay I don't think it is, there is a pretty good track record that heat increases crimes.

And it's lower when chilly, though maybe that's just because people are inside and not wondering around like they would be when it's warm.

@sstronaut You're right. Most riots have taken place in hot weather too. I like the cold and a lot of the big cities in Nordic countries actually have pretty mild weather. What is a little different, especially to the north, is sunlight. But I guess if that's all you know you adjust.

@CrazyMusicLover I heard people die while waiting for a specialist to be available

@Reserved How did they measure? The link will go in to that as well as some other findings.
But as a side note. More Americans are dissatisfied with their healthcare than in any industrialized nation on earth. Probably because we're the only nation that doesn't have government run care. We pay the most and get the least. That's the truth.
Canadians I know are very thankful for their system. I've also heard them say that not having the fear of not being treated or going bankrupt because of costs permeates society and how people interact. Is everyone going to be happy all the time? Will everything go smoothly? Of course not. Reality dictates that. Their tax rate is also comparable to the U.S and a lot of people would MUCH prefer to live in northern areas instead of deserts and muggy swamps. I know I would. And many of the big cities aren't exactly crazy harsh winter environments. It's like New York or Seattle.

@BlueGreenGrey I heard Estonia is currently the bomb. Their life standard allegedly skyrocketed in recent years.
Swedes are known for traveling to south during the winter, as well as for lengthy vacations during the summer.
I think that native Scandinavians are pretty well accustomed to local climate, they don't see it as dramatically as people living in the southern parts but a lack of daylight might be still a problem for some.

@CrazyMusicLover * The hoodies with 24.9°C folk has joined the chat *