In a striking revelation from this year's World Happiness Report, research has found that strangers are approximately twice as kind as individuals perceive them to be. This study, released on Thursday, focused on measuring global happiness and the level of trust in various societies through a unique wallet experiment. Participants intentionally lost wallets in different locations and tracked the number of wallets returned, contrasting these findings with public assumptions about how many wallets would be handed back.
The results were astounding: wallets were returned at nearly double the rate predicted by people. As the report indicates, faith in the inherent kindness of others is more directly correlated with happiness than previously understood. Finland has been ranked the happiest country for eight consecutive years, while the US and UK have seen a decline in their standings.
John F. Helliwell, an economist at the University of British Columbia and one of the report's founding editors, emphasized that the data illustrates the connection between communal trust and personal happiness. He noted that people globally are generally more pessimistic about kindness, with actual wallet returns proving to be significantly higher than expectations.
The 13th edition of the World Happiness Report, which aligns with the UN's International Day of Happiness, assesses happiness levels through personal evaluations. Finland tops the list with an average score of 7.736 out of 10, while Costa Rica and Mexico make their first appearances in the top 10. Conversely, the UK and US ranked 23rd and 24th, marking the lowest historical position for the latter.
The report, conducted by the University of Oxford's Wellbeing Research Centre, utilizes a three-year average of self-rated life scores, where individuals classify their lives from 0 (worst) to 10 (best). The top ten happiest nations include:
1. Finland
2. Denmark
3. Iceland
4. Sweden
5. Netherlands
6. Costa Rica
7. Norway
8. Israel
9. Luxembourg
10. Mexico
Additional insights from the 2025 report reveal a correlation between dwindling happiness and social trust, contributing to political polarization in the US and Europe. Sharing meals with others and household size were also found to impact happiness positively, with four to five occupants in a household reporting the highest satisfaction in Mexico and Europe.
Jeffrey D. Sachs, president of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, remarked on the vital link between happiness, trust, and community bonds. He urged individuals to channel these findings into actionable steps to foster goodness, thereby enhancing social cohesion and overall wellbeing. Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, of the Wellbeing Research Centre, echoed the sentiment, stressing the urgency of bridging divides and enhancing interpersonal connections during an age marked by isolation and polarization.
The results were astounding: wallets were returned at nearly double the rate predicted by people. As the report indicates, faith in the inherent kindness of others is more directly correlated with happiness than previously understood. Finland has been ranked the happiest country for eight consecutive years, while the US and UK have seen a decline in their standings.
John F. Helliwell, an economist at the University of British Columbia and one of the report's founding editors, emphasized that the data illustrates the connection between communal trust and personal happiness. He noted that people globally are generally more pessimistic about kindness, with actual wallet returns proving to be significantly higher than expectations.
The 13th edition of the World Happiness Report, which aligns with the UN's International Day of Happiness, assesses happiness levels through personal evaluations. Finland tops the list with an average score of 7.736 out of 10, while Costa Rica and Mexico make their first appearances in the top 10. Conversely, the UK and US ranked 23rd and 24th, marking the lowest historical position for the latter.
The report, conducted by the University of Oxford's Wellbeing Research Centre, utilizes a three-year average of self-rated life scores, where individuals classify their lives from 0 (worst) to 10 (best). The top ten happiest nations include:
1. Finland
2. Denmark
3. Iceland
4. Sweden
5. Netherlands
6. Costa Rica
7. Norway
8. Israel
9. Luxembourg
10. Mexico
Additional insights from the 2025 report reveal a correlation between dwindling happiness and social trust, contributing to political polarization in the US and Europe. Sharing meals with others and household size were also found to impact happiness positively, with four to five occupants in a household reporting the highest satisfaction in Mexico and Europe.
Jeffrey D. Sachs, president of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, remarked on the vital link between happiness, trust, and community bonds. He urged individuals to channel these findings into actionable steps to foster goodness, thereby enhancing social cohesion and overall wellbeing. Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, of the Wellbeing Research Centre, echoed the sentiment, stressing the urgency of bridging divides and enhancing interpersonal connections during an age marked by isolation and polarization.
