Happiness is what everyone aspires to, but in a context of multiple crises at the same time at all levels, it may seem that being happy is more complicated than ever, but nothing could be further from the truth.
Every year, studies on happiness are published, and in this edition we discover that the number of people who declare themselves happy is increasing . But what is the magic formula for happiness? What has more weight in happiness: health, money or love?
7 out of 10 people declare themselves happy
Happiness in Spain has also increased, in this case more strikingly, by 14 points compared to 2022, with 7 out of 10 people declaring themselves happy. This increase confirms the upward trend in happiness in the country in recent years, being the highest figure in the last decade.
Thus, Spain goes from occupying the penultimate position in the European ranking to being in fifth position, only behind the Netherlands (85%), Portugal (79%), France (74%) and Sweden (74%).
What factors determine happiness?
Happiness has always been marked by a multitude of factors, many of them beyond our individual control, but which in one way or another have the ability to impact how happy we feel. Although the personal burden is very high when it comes to defining what makes us happy, there is a global consensus on the most important aspects.
The three factors that bring us the most happiness worldwide are “feeling that my life has meaning,” “feeling that I am in control of my life,” and having mental health and well-being.
The latter factor, which has become one of the most important factors in the wake of the pandemic, even more so than physical health, was in first place in 2022 and fell to eleventh in 2023.
The more satisfied we are with these three factors, the happier we are. On a global level, on average, 73% feel that their life has meaning and that they have control over it, a percentage that coincides with the data for Spain, thus placing it among the European countries where the largest population is satisfied with their life. Regarding mental health and well-being, on average in the 32 countries, 72% are satisfied, and in Spain it is 75%, the second highest figure in Europe after the Netherlands (84%).
If we continue to move forward on the list of factors that have the greatest impact on our happiness, we find that the top 10 are completed by: social life, living conditions, social status, feeling appreciated, personal financial situation, material possessions and feeling loved . In 9 of them, Spain exceeds 70% satisfaction, it is in the part of personal financial situation where we find that general satisfaction drops to 61%, being one of the factors where the Spanish population is least satisfied, together with the factors of the economic, social and political situation of the country. Even so, Spain is ranked as the second country in Europe where most people are satisfied with their financial situation, only surpassed by the Netherlands (80%) and at the same level as Portugal.
The main conclusion is that people worldwide are generally happier than in previous years. On average, across the 32 countries analysed, 73% of the world's adult population say they are happy, a growth of 6 points compared to last year.
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