Who’s happy, who’s not: Norway tops list, US falls

Norway vaulted to the top slot in the World Happiness Report despite the plummeting price of oil, a key part of its economy. Income in the United States has gone up over the past decade, but happiness is declining.

The United States was 14th in the latest ranking, down from No. 13 last year, and over the years Americans steadily have been rating themselves less happy.

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Studying happiness may seem frivolous, but serious academics have long been calling for more testing about people’s emotional well-being, especially in the United States.

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Commentary by The Secular Jurist:  The article states that “income in the United States has gone up over the past decade;”  however, it makes no distinction between average income (which statistically applies the total personal income of a nation evenly by population) and median income (which more accurately measures the income of households in the middle of nation’s income scale).  Since the 2008 financial crisis and subsequent Great Recession, average incomes have risen sharply in comparison to median incomes in western nations.  This stark difference has resulted in a growing wealth gap which has benefited rich people and pushed increasing numbers of middle class people down the income scale.