Don’t worry. Governments just want us to be happy: Woodcock
Toronto Sun
By Connie Woodcock
So, how are we feeling this morning? On a scale of 1 to 10, are you happy? Sad? Somewhere in between until you’ve had your coffee?
Be careful how you answer, though. The happiness police may be listening.
Didn’t know there were happiness police? Apparently, there are — the nice folks at Statistics Canada — not to mention happiness experts, statistics and analyses.
Earlier this month, there was even a happiness conference in Ottawa which kicked off with the release of a study showing just how happy Canadians are.
The conference was put on by two little known organizations, a think tank called the Canadian Centre for the Study of Living Standards and Ontario’s Institute for Competitiveness and Prosperity and let’s just say there was a lot of happy talk there.
It was preceded by the release of a study showing just how happy Canadians are. Happiest place in Canada? Sherbrooke, Quebec.
No surprise, it wasn’t Toronto. In fact, Toronto came in at the bottom of the heap. If you want to be happy, go live in Brantford, the happiest place in Ontario.
Statistics Canada asked 70,000 Canadians to rate their life satisfaction on a scale of one to five. The numbers have been collected for years but it took the CSLS to analyze them.
Turns out we’re a pretty happy bunch. A whopping 92% of us are happy with our lives and the difference between last place and first was only about 5%.
Also no surprise: Your mom was right — money can’t buy happiness although it does help, the conference concluded. But after a certain level, the numbers proved, more money doesn’t increase people’s happiness much.
Geography, health and stress were more important indicators.
Toronto would be last
So, for instance, Toronto probably comes out last because of all the extra stress involved in living there. East coast communities scored generally high despite economic problems because of their strong sense of community.
Never mind, though, headline writers were provided with an unexpected and not entirely justified opportunity.
“At least we’re happier than Toronto,” said the Hamilton Spectator grumpily. “We’re pretty darned happy,” said the Belleville Intelligencer. “Don’t worry, we’re happy,” crowed the Brantford Expositor.
In fact, happiness is beginning to be as important as the gross domestic product and not just in Canada.
In the U.K., Prime Minister David Cameron is getting the Office of National Statistics to start looking at Britons’ general wellbeing. He intends to make it a key part of the government’s policy making.
Years ago, British newspapers reported a key part of the government’s policy making. Years ago, British newspapers reported Cameron believed people’s life satisfaction was one of the “central political issues of our time.”
In France, President Nicolas Sarkozy announced last year he too intends to include happiness and wellbeing in his government’s measurement of economic progress.
All this happy talk is developing because of a Sarkozy-commissioned report by two Nobel prize-winning economists who suggested all governments should be looking at their citizens’ personal wellbeing to gauge national success. They want governments to shift from emphasizing production to paying more attention to household wealth and an assessment of whether countries were growing sustainably or damaging the environment.
In Canada, government has been strangely silent on whether it cares about how we’re all feeling today.
But I’m sure it won’t be long. After all, if we’re as satisfied with our lives as it seems, then maybe we’re ready to vote for a majority government and now’s the time for an election.
The only thing that bothers me about all this is the truthfulness of the answers. After all, if someone asks you how you are, you always say, “Fine, thanks,” even if you feel terrible.
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