Chapter 810 is the best possible life. Countries differ hugely on this
scale, showing that there is no set point of happiness dic-
tated by human nature as such. The most satisfied countries
are generally those in Scandinavia, as well as the Nether-
lands and Switzerland. All these have scores above 7. The
least happy countries include Syria, Afghanistan, and 17 Af-
rican states, all scoring below 4.
From this huge spread we can learn a lot about the im-
pact of social norms and institutions on human happiness.
Let us begin with a bird’s- eye view before looking at each
factor in turn. Figure 8.1 and Table 8.1 report a cross-
sectional regression across 126 countries in which the av-
erage life- satisfaction in each country is the dependent
variable. The explanatory factors are as follows (with their
definitions).^4
Trust Proportion who say Yes to “In gen-
eral do you think that most people
can be trusted (or alternatively that
you can’t be too careful in dealing
with people)?”
Generosity Proportion who say Yes to “Have
you donated money to a charity in
the present month?”
Social Support Proportion who say Yes to “If you
were in trouble, do you have rela-
tives or friends you can count on to
help you whenever you need them?”
Freedom Proportion who say Yes to ”Are you
satisfied or dissatisfied with your
freedom to choose what you do
with your life?”