A map of the world's happiest countries - Driving Directions and Maps

The UK is the 23rd happiest country in the world, according to an international report.

The World Happiness Report 2016, which surveyed 157 countries, aims "to survey the scientific underpinnings of measuring and understanding subjective well-being".

It does so by employing polling data on happiness as well as key economic, health and development markers, and analysis from experts across fields including economics, psychology, survey analysis, national statistics, health, public policy.

Source: Indy100.com

The report found that the top 10 countries were:

All small or medium-sized western industrial countries, of which seven are in Western Europe.

Read more here: The world's happiest countries

What is happiness?

Happiness is one of the most important indicators of public opinion surveys and other sociological surveys. How well we feel in our skin?

Difficult question. Six of our national feelings (there are optimistic and pessimistic nations), our standard of living, our upbringing ...

But what is happiness? All of us are different. Any moments? Or long period? Many consider happiness to be an ideal state, a state that can only and only be desirable. It's a real Hollywood idyll.

If you look a bit more scientifically; happiness is a mental state characterized by positive emotions.

According to Martin Seligman, a psychologist, the components of happiness

Enjoyments (a delicious wine, a hot bathtub)
Immersion ability (deepening in a person's enjoyable activity, for example, when someone gets into a good book)
relationships (social, friendship, family ties)
The sense of life (definition of goals for what it makes sense to fight)
tangible success, achievements (a league cup or a good ticket at school).

The notion of happiness is also known by the religions of the world.

Who would not know the following biblical quote:

Blessed by The Spirit are the poor because theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

The central theme of Buddhism is happiness. In Buddhism, the Noble Eight Path leads to ultimate happiness.

Happiness already has a world day; This day is on the 20^th of March!

The following chart depicts the geographical distribution of happiness based on the responses of volunteer respondents. In the areas marked with orange, people are the happiest, while the most unhappy in the areas depicted in the dark lilies.