Satisfaction with Life Index

This World Happiness Map was created with data of Satisfaction With Life Scale from a paper by Adrian G. White using data from a metastudy. [White, A. (2007). [http://www.le.ac.uk/users/aw57/world/sample.html A Global Projection of Subjective Well-being: A Challenge To Positive Psychology?] Psychtalk 56, 17-20. The data on SWB and SWLS were extracted from a meta-analysis by Marks, Abdallah, Simms & Thompson (2006).] It is an attempt to show life satisfaction (subjective life satisfaction) in different nations. In this calculation, subjective well being correlates most strongly with health (.7), wealth (.6), and access to basic education (.6). [http://www.le.ac.uk/pc/aw57/world/sample.html] [http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/11/061113093726.htm] [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5224306.stm]

This is an example of a recent trend to use direct measures of happiness, such as surveys asking people how happy they are, as an alternative to traditional measures of policy success to GDP or GNP. Some studies suggest that happiness can be measured effectively. [ [http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.12/start.html?pg=2 "The True Measure of Success"] - Wired.com] [ [http://www.samuelbrittan.co.uk/spee22_p.html "Happiness" is not enough"] - Samuel Brittan: Templeton Lecture Inst. of Economic Affairs 22/11/01]

International Ranking (2006)

See also

* Happy Planet Index
* Quality of life

References

* [http://www.le.ac.uk/pc/aw57/world/sample.html The World Map of Happiness] , Adrian White, Analytic Social Psychologist, University of Leicester.

External links

* [http://weber.ucsd.edu/~aronatas/F&S%20Lecture%2013%20Happiness.pdf A presentation by the study authors, including the quoted figures, and explaining both the methods used, and the conclusions drawn] (A. Marks et al)
* [http://www.bath.ac.uk/econ-dev/wellbeing/conference2007/final-papers/4-lc/yamamoto.pdf A paper by the study authors, detailing the statistical techniques and measures used to produce the above listing. ] (A. Marks et al)
* [http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/11/061113093726.htm Psychologist Produces The First-ever 'World Map Of Happiness] , ScienceDaily (14 Nov 2006)
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5224306.stm Denmark 'happiest place on earth'] , BBC News (28 July 2006)
* [http://www.le.ac.uk/pc/aw57/world/sample.html A Global Projection of Subjective Well-being: A Challenge To Positive Psychology?] by Adrian G. White, University of Leicester