I note this story which is being reported in New Zealand today:

http://home.nzcity.co.nz/news/default.asp?id=45092

The general idea seems to be that the top five least miserable countries in the world this year are apparently:

1. Japan
2. Norway
3. Switzerland
4. Netherlands
5. New Zealand

Australia, Britain, and USA seem to come in around 14th place.

The rather flimsy criteria for this index are simply the level of inflation and unemployment in the country, but it's an interesting indication, nonetheless.

Different, the one in our local newspaper (The 10 best places to live) had Ireland in top place, the rest were European except Australia.
In no particular order it also included:

Sweden (too dark during the winters)
Norway (ditto)
Luxemburg (too boring)
Denmark
Spain
Italy

I've always heard the US was the best place to live...but that may just be propaganda. :D

not really it's a great place to live if you have any ambition whatsoever. you can do absolutely anthing in this country that you could possibly want to. hell theres a saying that "anybody can become president" is true just look at who we reelected.

For a few years, Canada was one of the best countries to live in. Then the Liberals took over and ruined the place...

I'm about to get a little philosophical here but ...

In my experience, some of the most miserable, unhappy people I've ever met were those with money to burn. I can't put my finger on why, but I've seen or heard of some of them having problems like drug abuse, depression, and so on. Others, its easy to see a certain angst, rage even, in their facial expressions. "Money doesn't buy happiness", besides being cliched, seems apparently true in many cases.

To reduce misery to unemployment rates or GNP just seems ludicrous to me.

*money doesn't buy happiness

but it will buy the best of friends :D

Interesting that i should hear this a few days after hearing of a study. Obviously its not proof, but heres the idea-
money DOES give you happiness.
To a point, anyway. After £7,000 per year this disappears. Seems reasonable enough to me.

Give me money, and I can guarantee you I'll be happy, even if you aren't! :lol:

With enough money, even if I'm not happy, I can get enough plastic surgery to make me look it. :D

It's not the money but what you do with it. The people who have the money but blow it on drugs and excesses don't have as much left when they sober up. But if they spend that money on goods that they enjoy, and find the right people to share them with, then they can still be happy with what they have.

Money only helps to get happiness when you know what you want...