Money doesn’t buy happiness
A new report called The Happy Planet Index shows that out of 30 European countries surveyed, Britain ranks 21st in the table of physical and emotional well-being. The report analysed the carbon footprint of the 30 countries and the relative happiness that created. Over the last 40 or so years, our standard of living has improved, we now have more money to spend on luxuries than ever before, but our happiness has seen a drop of 6%. It does show that it takes more than money to make people happy. The top three are Sweden, Norway and Iceland, which is hardly surprising as they have the highest spending on health, education and environmental projects. The report points to the fact that the top three countries have all reduced their carbon footprint and have taken steps to reduce their use of fossil fuels. Even where this has meant a change of lifestyle for the population, it has not made people any less happy.
It just goes to show that we can all make positive changes to our lifestyles to reduce our own carbon footprint without sacrificing our happiness. We may think we are dependent on our cars and gadgets and foreign holidays to be happy, but in reality we’re not. Happiness comes from far more than our possessions.
