Lara Aknin
Appearances
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Tea for two - sharing a brew with a stranger
They're often topping the list with a lot of Nordic countries.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Tea for two - sharing a brew with a stranger
It is hard to pinpoint exactly what Finland might have in terms of some secret sauce or perfect level of predictors, but it's been speculated there might be various factors, including a strong social safety net that provides people a sense of financial support should they need to leave their work, if they need health care, also education covered all the way from very young ages through university, but also the fact that a strong social safety net provides
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Tea for two - sharing a brew with a stranger
provides not just these financial resources and basic necessities, but also represents the idea that your neighbors, that your fellow countrymen are there by your side to support you. One important thing in the report is that we try to understand the global variations in these rankings. So what helps explain the happiness differences across these countries?
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Tea for two - sharing a brew with a stranger
Some of these factors are typically beyond the reach of the average individual, like GDP per capita and healthy life expectancy, which you might be able to shape with some healthy choices. But two of my favorites to underscore are the importance of social support, so that is having someone to count on in times of need, and engaging in personal acts of generosity for other people.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: Tea for two - sharing a brew with a stranger
Both of those have been shown to be strong, independent predictors of well-being, and I think they're particularly powerful and potent because they're things that we can choose to engage in.