Happiness? Humbug!

Never among the giddy or even close to the satisfied, the U.S. has now dropped even further in Gallup’s annual ranking of the world’s happiest countries. We’re now a lowly 23rd.

Leading the pack again in 2024 was Finland, followed in the top seven by Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, Israel, Netherlands and Norway. Israel is obviously misplaced, the ranking having taken place before the Gaza war. All of the others are Scandinavian countries.

That’s telling. It says socialism breeds content. It also says, with all of the happy countries now under the NATO umbrella, the U.S. has to come to their aid if Russia should choose to invade them. That’s real security. No wonder they’re happy.

What about social measuring sticks? Human connections, gratitude, a sense of purpose and resilience all contribute, according to Cal-Berkeley’s Emiliana Simon Thomas. Capitalist countries like the U.S., Germany, Italy, Spain and Japan are well down the list. The profit motive was clearly underrated.

TRECKER

But beyond that, why should the U.S. have such a low ranking? There are plenty of reasons. It doesn’t take a genius to see the searing hatred between the two political parties or the crippling loss of buying power or the ballooning national debt. And how about the insidious tax increases that are just around the corner. (Total taxes could reach nearly 60% next year for some middle-class families, according to The Wall Street Journal.) And who could be happy about our terrible choices for president? Pollster Jeff Horwitt says there’s a feeling of “mourning in America.”

And while not a direct correlation, it’s notable that suicides in the U.S. reached a record last year.

One interesting sidelight of the Gallup survey is that young people are by far the unhappiest. A happiness index based on people under age 30 would rank the U.S, 62nd in the world.

Why so glum? America’s youth, we are told, have a feeling of hopelessness, with little freedom to make life choices. Loneliness is pervasive. (I did a quick survey of my seven grandchildren and concluded that only three of them were optimistic about their futures.)

Oxford’s Jan-Emmanuel De Neve was quoted as saying, “Youths have reached the point of a midlife crisis — today. That’s really disconcerting because then, obviously, it begs the question, where’s it going to go from here.”

Causes were said to be over-reliance on social media, isolation and financial insecurity. Generation Z youth (18-25 year olds) are the most pessimistic. A WSJ article claimed many of them wonder whether there is a purpose to life given the world situation.

That spills over to education and, eventually, job satisfaction. A recent survey showed young people were increasingly skeptical about the benefits of four-year college, particularly with costs going through the roof. And jobs? The old-fashioned work ethic has largely disappeared. Whether cause or effect, it’s an unhappy situation.

OK, what about the other extreme — those 60 and older? Those folks, sporting their longevity, are generally satisfied with life, placing the U.S in the top 10 of all countries. Harvard’s Robert Waldinger says people on average experience better moods as they age.

I guess I agree. Most of my friends, also in their 70s and 80s, are pretty upbeat, at least if they’re healthy. Having survived that long, having dodged all the slings and arrows, can be a real tonic.

Here’s a finish I particularly like, a good description of happiness for the elderly. A man in his 80s said he and his wife just enjoy being with each other: “It feels like the last days of a great vacation.” ¦

— Dave Trecker is a chemist and retired Pfizer executive living in Florida.

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