How can we measure happiness in order to compare cities based on individuals’ sense of life satisfaction? Photo: Pixabay
Brno, Feb 13 (BD) – Of course opinions about what makes us happy are not objective and differ from person to person. Some city dwellers would say that feeling happy is about overall quality of life, while for others it could be a good education and welfare system, or simply a beautiful skyline and greenery.
The World Happiness Report 2017 released last year by Columbia University in New York takes into account “the population’s longevity, health and overall satisfaction”.
Good weather conditions and the sea are often considered important factors contributing to the happiness and good mood of citizens. On the contrary, a lack of sun and beaches are usually named as reasons for higher rates of depression in certain areas.
Surprisingly enough, the results of the “Happiness Report” show that the best countries for living are Switzerland, Iceland, Denmark, and Norway– countries with similar conditions (lack of warm beaches and sunlight throughout the year) to the Czech Republic.
The Czech Republic ranked 31st of 158 countries. The ‘amount of happiness’ depends more on prosperity and economic development, as we can see that North America and Western Europe, which are rich countries, rank highest in feelings of happiness.
On the other hand, at the bottom of the rankings, we can see a number of poorer equatorial countries.
Maybe not the happiest, but a great place to live.
Brno has been listed in the New York Times (NYT) among the 52 best places to go in 2016.
Although the city is not big, its minimalist architecture, numerous stylish bars and restaurants, and contemporary erotic art inspires everyone to feel happy. NYT journalists have fallen in love with Brno and named it one of 2016’s must-see destinations.
One of many comments under the NYT article on Facebook reads: “You must experience the atmosphere of this trendy cosmopolitan city which, thanks to the international students, companies and intelligent start up projects, has become a very nice place to live.”
