5: Happiness at a Global Level

This chapter begins by looking at countries ranked in the top and the bottom 10 for happiness according to World Happiness Reports. It considers some of the reasons for the disparity between nations at the top, where life can be pleasant and fulfilling, and those lower in the rankings where it can be wretched. State effectiveness is discussed with a look at highest ranked Finland’s unique culture. The negative impact of precarity already in existence or anticipated, prompted Blumstein to propose that psychology adopts ‘precarity’ as a major concept for study. Government interventions important for happiness and positive psychology are explored. The chapter finishes with the example of Bhutan with its policy of Gross National Happiness.