Some great stuff in here; sometimes a bit generic or a bit too grumpy for me, but I am glad I listened to it. ( )

I should note at the outset, that this review is based on a Blinkist summary of the whole book. So it comes with limitations. Though, I have found the Blinkist summaries, very good in capturing the essence of the full book. But one is always going to miss the detail and the nuances of the full book. Nevertheless here are a few extracts from the summary that caught my attention:
IF you’re looking for the latest research on happiness, the best place to start is the Netherlands, where annual happiness conferences are held for researchers to compare their notes and methodologies. They keep a database which is a collection of statistics and results from research conducted around the world, and by bringing this information together, a great deal of insight can be obtained. For example, the database makes it quite clear that married people are happier than singles, Democrats are less happy than Republicans, the rich are happier than the poor and women are just as happy as men.
Though it also shows that in many of the world’s happiest countries, for instance, suicide rates are higher than average. And apparently religion makes one happier but it is the secular countries that are ranked the happiest.
How does one measure happiness anyway? Well, there are many methods, some of which are highly dubious–to put it nicely.
Everything operates like clockwork in Switzerland, with trains running on a strict schedule, roads clear of potholes and bathrooms and sidewalks alike kept clean and spotless. Methods like this aren’t going to be the cause of happy celebrations, but they do succeed in removing any cause for being unhappy.......The Swiss avoid dressing or acting in any way that might be perceived as flaunting wealth [unlike attitudes in the USA].
In 1984, psychologist Roger Ulrich studied patients recovering from gallbladder surgery, and he noted how patients with a view of nature from their bed would heal at a faster rate than patients with no such view. “The Swiss have done for boredom what the French did for wine and the Germans for beer: perfected it, mass-produced it.”
If you’ve ever dreamed of living like a monk and spending your days devoted to the peace and quiet of meditation, Bhutan is the place for you.....supposedly the happiest country.
The United States and other Western nations place an emphasis on Gross National Product and the pursuit of economic growth, but Bhutan’s government is more interested in Gross National Happiness (yes this is an actual policy!).......The World Database of Happiness reveals many places where spirituality increases happiness, and it’s definitely the case in Bhutan, where the lines between reality and fantasy happily blur. Part of Buddhism is a belief in reincarnation,........which the author saw in a woman who proudly refers to her husband as being a brother of Dalai Lama–in a previous life.......They recognize that the efforts of one life are quite insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Bhutan is an upside-down country. Bhutanese greet with “bye-bye,” 13 is a lucky number, and the king wants to abolish the monarchy. [Though my friend Roger, after visiting Bhutan commented that the young people there were keen to get away to places like Australia].
Unlike other wealthy nations, Qatar has used this money to create the ultimate welfare state. Everything from water, electricity, health care and education are free and no one pays taxes. Also, upon getting married, every Qatari husband gets a plot of land and some $7,000 per month......But wealth has been a burden for Qatar, much like the stories of lottery winners who grow saddened by the loss of friends and the lifestyle change that comes with so much money......Since most Qataris don’t have jobs, they’re also missing the satisfaction that comes after a hard day’s work........From the Qatari perspective, whether you’re happy or miserable, it’s God’s will and out of the control of humans.
What Iceland may lack in pleasant weather, it makes up for in creativity. Every other building in the capital city of Reykjavík is either a bookstore, a record shop, an art gallery or a café filled with poets and painters.........Writing is one of the best ways for a person to stay busy during the endless stretches of dark winter. It’s certainly a big reason why Iceland’s taxi drivers, fishermen and hotel clerks are all writers.......And, Iceland is another country with an inspirational landscape, thanks to its dramatic geysers, hot springs, glaciers and volcanic rock.
No one in Iceland will discourage you from trying your hand at painting, sculpting or writing; instead, they’ll encourage you to try and see what happens.
According to Veenhoven’s World Database of Happiness, the world’s true hub of misery is a small strip of Eastern European land located between Romania and the Ukraine, known as Moldova.......The root cause of unhappiness is the simple fact that there’s no money, which is supported by data that shows the average per capita annual income is only $880.
since the nation is surrounded by wealthy neighbours, their world standing stings a bit more. It’s like living in poverty on a street full of rich people......The closest thing Moldovans have to culture is a pervasive pessimism that is filled with both resignation and envy.......McDonald’s is prohibitively expensive for most Moldovans. Only wealthy oligarchs and the Russian mafia can afford eating there.
The Thais have a variety of words for different kinds of smiles. There’s “yim cheun chom,” the smile that expresses admiration; there’s “yim thak thaan,” the smile that says “I dislike your idea but go ahead;” and let’s not forget “yim sao,” the sad smile.
In Thai society, ignorance really is bliss and too much thinking or questioning only leads to problems, not happiness.....Even unpleasant activities like mowing the lawn are treated like jolly good fun. [I can’t escape the feeling that the author is overgeneralising and that Thailand...like any other country has the whole spectrum op people and not everyone makes mowing the lawn a fun job]. ...Thais generally accept their fortunes, for better or for worse, and if it’s not so great, well, then there’s always the next
lifetime.
In 2005, the BBC aired a reality television series called Make Slough Happy, and its basic idea was that if Slough can become happy, any place can. The show followed six “happiness experts” giving a 12-week “happiness training” course to 50 volunteers. These 50 people then went on to be a positive influence in their part of Slough and viewers would see if their happiness could be passed on to others, who would then continue passing it on, until Slough became a changed place.....The 50 volunteers concluded by reporting that Slough’s happiness increased by 33 percent following the experiment.....[Well, they would say that wouldn’t they? But how was it measured and did it last].
Unlike Americans, who consider the pursuit of happiness as part of their national identity, British folks look at life as something one must get through with a stiff upper lip and some determination.
When the author went to India, he went to hear the guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar speak to an audience about eternal bliss, but found that his words rang hollow......For example, when asked about what happens after death, Shankar’s cheeky reply was that he could provide answers, but he doesn’t want to ruin the suspense.
According to Hinduism, striving to be happy is futile since unhappiness is a result of powerful forces such as fate and karma, and trying to fight this is basically like trying to defy the will of the gods.
there are a lot of researchers who place the United States relatively low on the joy scale.
Wealth has tripled in the United States since 1950, but research shows that their happiness has not matched this progress. In fact, happiness levels have been on a steady decline.
Depression, anxiety and other mental health problems are rising, while divorce rates have doubled, violent crime rates have quadrupled and teen suicide rates have tripled.
Americans also spend more time at work and less time with family and friends, which is a factor that the World Database of Health suggests is directly related to happiness.
Even if they’re not happy now, two-thirds of Americans still believe that happiness awaits them in the future.
The key message in this book: The world is home to happy people and unhappy people, and everything in between–although the factors contributing to happiness may not be what we expect. Some populations find happiness by not focusing on it at all, while certain nations try too hard to make their citizens happy and end up failing miserably. While there’s no perfect recipe for a happy nation, there are certain trends that lead us to believe happiness is not something that can be bought.
My take on the book. I think his basic premise is flawed. There is the assumption that happiness can be localised by geography, but whilst there is certainly some cultural factors playing out with happiness, there are also individual issues and happy and miserable people can be found in all societies. Will a great view of nature make you happy? Well it might improve your mood but just because you live in the mountains in Appalachia doesn’t mean that you are going to be happy.....(probably the reverse if you are dirt poor). And the happiness index wasn’t new to me....nor the fact that the Bhutanese were supposedly the happiest ....though there is that comment from my friend that a lot of the young people are itching to get out of the place. So maybe his ideas about geography and culture do have something to do with happiness but there are also the issues with how it’s measured ...and against what standard. And what about the variability within countries? And, finally, what does it mean for me? So a few outstanding issues there for me. I give it two stars. ( )

equal parts self-help and world culture

learned a ton about how geography, religion, family values and government can effect a cultures happiness ( )

This book really makes you think about what makes you happy. You also learn a lot about other cultures. ( )

He is not kidding when he says he is a grump. It is sort of a mdern day innocents abroad, interesting and fun ( )