Below is an interesting article from Greater Good Magazine on a new study that will appear in Perspectives on Psychological Science.  The results mirror previous cross-national studies of happiness.

A new study run by the University of Michigan, called the Happiness Index, will appear in the July 2008 issue of Perspectives on Psychological Science. It produced results remarkably similar to an another cross-national comparison by the University of Leicester’s Adrian G. White, which was drawn from a meta-analysis called the Happy Planet Index.

The Social Democratic countries of Northern Europe are shockingly happy (especially given that their weather is often lousy), with Denmark leading the way in the new study. The most miserable countries are hot and politically unstable–this year, troubled Zimbabwe sat at the bottom of the list. Given previous results, no surprises there. The big surprise is that happiness seems to be rising around the world. “The results clearly show that the happiest societies are those that allow people the freedom to choose how to live their lives,” says University of Michigan political scientist Ronald Inglehart, who directed the study. “It’s a surprising finding. It’s widely believed that it’s almost impossible to raise an entire country’s happiness level.” (Quote from LiveScience.)