Click on it for a bigger version.
The conclusion? Democratic capitalism makes you happy. The happiest places in the world are Canada, the US, Ireland and Australia. All of them are free, prosperous, democratic, capitalist countries. Yes, there are a few happy statist countries, but very few. Our cultural superiors in France and Germany are less happy.
Har har har!
Source.
The conclusion may in fact be the converse of yours...
ReplyDeleteNot "Democratic capitalism makes you happy. The happiest places in the world are ... All ... free, prosperous, democratic, capitalist countries."
Perhaps the conclusion is "Where people are prosperous, they tend to be happy, thus allowing for the survival of democratic capitalism." If they became unhappy, they might forment revolution, resulting in another form of government.
It is of course, clear from the map that democratic capitalism and happiness are highly correlated. The question is, which is cause and which is effect, if either.
Europe doing well came before the big democracy/republic stuff, but the republic ideals came before the prosperous stuff in the US.
ReplyDeleteI have a different take on it ... a guide to easy places to travel (the happy bits) and interesting places to travel (the not so happy bits). If you want to risk your life, go to the truly miserable bits.
ReplyDeleteI elaborate more in this map article on my website, if you care to read further.
By the way, India is the biggest democracy in the world, and apparently the unhappiest.