A recent study used the responses of 80,000 people worldwide to make a happiness-map. It did a "meta-analysis" of various studies which asked questions related to happiness and satisfaction with life, and related these to health, wealth and education.

Happier people are healthier, more successful, harder-working, caring and more socially engaged. Misery makes people self-obsessed and inactive.

When are asked if they were happy with their lives, people in countries with good healthcare, higher average income, and access to education were much more likely to report being "happy".

Interestingly, these are the measures that politicians use to track changes in happiness. In the UK, a BBC survey found that 81% think that the government should focus on making people happier rather than wealthier.

Strangely, happiness has a somewhat negative image in some western cultures. After all, isn't it selfish to try to increase our own happiness, while much of the world faces suffering?

Some think that happiness is a trivial pursuit, a dream perpetuated by self-help gurus in a burgeoning "happiness industry". Many people comfort themselves by believing they are happier than average, and that they'll be even happier within a few years if they strive for more wealth - which keeps driving them in the proverbial "rat-race".

Most think that if people describe themselves as happy, then they ARE happy. But psychologists differentiate between happiness-levels. The most immediate involves feelings of pleasure or joy. But mostly happiness is a judgment that life is satisfying, and does not imply an emotional state.

Public surveys measure what makes us happy. Marriage does, pets do, but children don't seem to (despite what we think). Youth and old age are usually the happiest times. Money does not add much to happiness.

It's well known that rich people are not happy, yet the pursuit of wealth and "The American Dream" persists. The happiness of lottery winners returns to former levels within a year. Most people disabled in an accident are likely to become almost as happy again. Some think that happiness levels are probably genetic.

Here's how some of the major countries ranked on Happiness:

It's interesting that the Scandinavian countries ranked in the top-10. Canadians are happier than Americans, and the Irish than the British. Japan is low on the scale; India and China still have to work at it, Russia is fairly low on the scale. Take a look at the complete list.

Hey, are YOU happy? Do YOU know what makes you happy?