Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Happiness report: Norway is the happiest place on earth

bbc.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–30 of 168 posts

Re: Happiness report: Norway is the happiest place on earth

#21

Post by Vinkekatten »

nkrisc wrote: post #17

After visiting Norway in the summer, the only thing that would give me pause with regards to living there is the winter. I live at 41°N right now and I think winter has to much darkness. Imagining the opposite of the Norwegian summer I experienced is a bit much for me.

I'll be honest, it's a little rough. Around late december, the darkest part of the year, I barely see sunlight for a month or two. I'm at work by 8:30, sun rises 10. I leave work at 16:00, sun sets 14:00.

It gets better though, so by february the worst bit is over. It's not really that awful - you really get a physical sense of the year progressing, and in a sense the darkness is cozy. Lots of light in the cities, starry skies in the countryside. Get some solarium tan going and spend a week or two of vacation time in warmer parts of the world and it's not at all bad.

Re: Happiness report: Norway is the happiest place on earth

#22

Post by larsiusprime »

nkrisc wrote: post #17

After visiting Norway in the summer, the only thing that would give me pause with regards to living there is the winter. I live at 41°N right now and I think winter has to much darkness. Imagining the opposite of the Norwegian summer I experienced is a bit much for me.

A lot of Norwegians go on vacation during the Winter; not unlike migratory birds flying south! Being able to afford vacation, and having government/employer support for it, probably has some impact on the happiness ratings.

Re: Happiness report: Norway is the happiest place on earth

#25

Post by larsiusprime »

gr3yh47 wrote: post #20
nkrisc wrote: post #17

After visiting Norway in the summer, the only thing that would give me pause with regards to living there is the winter. I live at 41°N right now and I think winter has to much darkness. Imagining the opposite of the Norwegian summer I experienced is a bit much for me.

They do have one of the last truly representative governments left in the world though. Really cool system that hasnt been captured by big money interests and seems unlikely to be corrupted by the same any time soon

As a dual Norwegian/American citizen, I would posit that a lot of that has to do with scale (ie, scale is necessary, though certainly not sufficient). The Norwegian government is on the same scale as many American municipal governments! And then you have local governments under that, that are obviously much smaller and thus even more hyper-local than many of their American counterparts. The larger your state gets, the more layers of abstraction and distance you get between the ruling class and the population, the more you dilute the power of an individual vote, and decrease the sense of connection between ruler and ruled.

Re: Happiness report: Norway is the happiest place on earth

#26

Post by mistermann »

sn41 wrote: post #18
mistermann wrote: post #8

1. Norway 146. Yemen 2. Denmark 147. South Sudan 3. Iceland 148. Liberia 4. Switzerland 149. Guinea 5. Finland 150. Togo 6. Netherlands 151. Rwanda 7. Canada 152. Syria 8. New Zealand 153. Tanzania 9. Australia 154. Burundi 10. Sweden Will be interesting to see how spots 7, 8, 9 hold up going forward as many/most middle class people in these 3 countries increasingly find they cannot afford even a very modest home wit…

I am an Indian who have lived for a while in NZ. Please do not chug on this Kool-Aid that NZ is not corrupt. Part of the reason why real estate in Auckland is overpriced is because the government deliberately does not formulate a legislation that forbids non-residents from buying up property. Please petition for this reasonable legislation. Who does the current policy enrich? It is your country. I think you should fi…

Oh, as a Canadian I fully agree, the exact same thing happening to you is happening to us as well. In Vancouver, upper class neighborhoods hollowed out by empty unmaintained multi-million dollar homes, condo towers pitch black at night, high end sports cars with N (new driver) stickers, horrendous traffic as (speculation) it seems people can buy a driver's license without first learning how to drive, etc.

Popular opinion is that eventually the bubble will pop, but unless China itself pops, I think their economy is so relatively large that "this time really is different", if you don't own by now you, and your offspring, really will be priced out forever. It's a depressing realization.

As for fighting for your country.....as usual, it is the boomers who overwhelmingly own property, and it is boomers who show up at the polls on election day. Voters love making 10% to 30% tax free on their massively leveraged investments, they'll never vote for any policy that would threaten that.

Re: Happiness report: Norway is the happiest place on earth

#27

Post by Yaggo »

acchow wrote: post #4

Post hoc ergo propter hoc.... but they're also incredible wealthy. I'm not saying money can buy happiness, but it pretty much can.

Norway and United States have very similar GDP per capita. The important difference is that in Nordic countries the money has been divided more equally.

Re: Happiness report: Norway is the happiest place on earth

#28

Post by TeeWEE »

cies wrote: post #23

Of course the outcomes of this kind of research are largely dependent on way it is designed. There is a similar study that finds Latin American countries to be among the happiest. Discussed here: http://www.livescience.com/50209-happiest-countries-latin-am...

Exactly what I thought, in some cultures asking somebody if they are happy on a 10 scale ladder, will result in high values because the culture's norm is to be positive. While in some other countries the social norm is to be pessimistic. But in the end those pessimistic countries wouldn't be a good place to be happy anyways :p

Re: Happiness report: Norway is the happiest place on earth

#29

Post by larsiusprime »

mi_noi_noi wrote: post #12

I am Norwegian and wonder how much of this is cultural. Most people here know that the rest of the world has much lower living standards. So for many it is perhaps rude or shameful to claim to be unhappy or dissatisfied. I know it says "subjective happiness" in the report, but I still suspect it might be an influence.

I do know from personal experience that being open (like super open) about your feelings, and in particular, complaining about one's personal condition, is a bit more muted in Norway vs. say, USA.

But I guess one could argue such an attitude might actually make you happier, in addition to merely appearing happier on reports? Who knows...

Re: Happiness report: Norway is the happiest place on earth

#30

Post by sn41 »

mistermann wrote: post #26
sn41 wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am an Indian who have lived for a while in NZ. Please do not chug on this Kool-Aid that NZ is not corrupt. Part of the reason why real estate in Auckland is overpriced is because the government deliberately does not formulate a legislation that forbids non-residents from buying up property. Please petition for this reasonable legislation. Who does the current policy enrich? It is your country. I think you should fi…

Oh, as a Canadian I fully agree, the exact same thing happening to you is happening to us as well. In Vancouver, upper class neighborhoods hollowed out by empty unmaintained multi-million dollar homes, condo towers pitch black at night, high end sports cars with N (new driver) stickers, horrendous traffic as (speculation) it seems people can buy a driver's license without first learning how to drive, etc. Popular opi…

Oops. I thought Newmarket, Auckland. But I agree with your basic point.
Post reply on HN