Finland tops happiness rankings for 9th year in a row, Ukraine ranks 111th out of 147 countries

Finland has once again topped the global happiness rankings, while Ukraine has retained its 111th position out of 147 countries, the same as last year.

This was reported in the annual World Happiness Report.

The last place in the ranking is traditionally occupied by Afghanistan, which ranked 147th.

Which countries made the top 10

The top 10 included:

• Finland,
• Iceland,
• Denmark,
• Costa Rica,
• Sweden,
• Norway,
• Netherlands,
• Israel,
• Luxembourg,
• Switzerland.

Costa Rica maintained its presence in the top 10 after becoming the first Latin American country on the list last year, sharing sixth place with Mexico. At the same time, Mexico dropped out of the top ten this year.

The report's authors note that most Western industrialized countries now have lower happiness scores than they did between 2005 and 2010.

In eight out of ten regions of the world, young people show higher life satisfaction scores compared to 2006 and 2010. The decline was recorded only in Western Europe, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

How emotions have changed

According to the study, negative emotions are becoming more common worldwide, but their levels are lower among young people, with the exception of the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. At the same time, anxiety levels have increased more among young people, and anger rates have decreased among both young and older age groups.

Positive emotions are recorded about twice as often as negative ones. In most regions, except for the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, young people are more likely to report positive emotions than older people.

What's driving teenagers' happiness

Separate studies from PISA and Gallup show a link between social media use and life satisfaction among teenagers. The highest levels are recorded at low levels of use, while well-being decreases with increasing time on social media.

PISA data among 15-year-olds in 47 countries show that teenagers who spend more than seven hours a day on social media have significantly lower well-being scores than those who use them for less than an hour. Among girls, life satisfaction decreases with increasing time on social media, but among boys, this relationship is only observed in Western Europe and English-speaking countries.

Studies in Latin American countries show that the impact depends on the type of platform: communication-oriented services are associated with higher levels of happiness, while platforms with algorithmic content selection have a negative effect when used frequently.

Recall that family therapist Virginia Satir developed the formula for "hugs for happiness", which is often quoted by psychologists:

• 4 hugs per day - the necessary minimum for survival (maintaining a basic sense of security).
• 8 hugs per day - to maintain and preserve emotional stability.
• 12 hugs per day - for true happiness, personal growth and development.