Good morning folks, it’s nearly the end of March which makes us happy for a number of reasons:

1. It’s officially springtime – waHOOOO! Which means it’s time to dress inappropriately for 3-4 months whilst the weather swings violently from 3 -18 degrees throughout the day. Cannot WAIT.

2. It marks the birthday’s of two of our lovely Pistachio’s (myself included) which means an abundance of cake and sugar to get through in a short space of time.

3. It’s the end of the tax year – we can’t really relate to this, but it’s all everyone keeps talking about, so I thought I’d throw it in.

4. It’s nearly Easter which means; time off, chocolate, and more time off, awesome!

So, March is a great time to be alive right? Well yes it is, but it also got us thinking about happiness levels in general, firstly throughout the year, and then around the world, and mainly, who is the happiest on this strange little planet of ours, and why.

Most of us immediately assumed that this must involve sunshine, as everyone seems to generally be happier in the sun, but no – how wrong we were! After some very diligent digging from our newbie Meghan, it was discovered – rather surprisingly – that actually, the highest scoring countries for happiness around the world are Nordic ones. Yikes, someone better tell the mass-Brit-exodus on the Costa del Sol then…

Intriguing, so how was this supposed happiness measured? Well, calculated and decided by the United Nations, contributing factors include:

-Income
-Freedom
-Generosity
-Well-being
-Absence of corruption
-Healthy life expectancy
-Social support

Ok, it’s sort of starting to make sense now, if you cross-check the above list against most of the worlds superpowers, it’s easy to see why none of them make the top ten of the worlds happiest places to live. Cripes.

A little further digging, and it appears that Finland scored the highest out of its Nordic siblings for generosity – clearly people are pleased to live in a country where they care about each other. Who knew that choosing to help others really does help to make you feel better? (that was a joke). Finn’s are so generous in fact that over half of them donate to charity regularly, and a staggering 1/3 of them volunteer for charitable causes out of their own time every month.

This just goes to show that generosity beats greed. Thank heavens for that hey. For example, the US (can, worms, everywhere) has the highest GDP in the entire world, but with the rapid decline of social and government support and trust, along with a less than appealing healthcare system, America has consistently been dropping further down the list year upon year – it currently sits at number 19.

And if you thought that power brought you happiness? The UK sits marginally above the US at 15 and China at an abysmal 86th for happiness.

Now, before we get bogged down into the murky waters of overpopulation, environmental and resource factors that this measly blog post isn’t going to be able to provide the answers to, what can we learn from our Nordic neighbours that can aid our day to day happiness?

Well, something which seems to give these populations the edge is a sense of personal freedom, a good work / life balance, a supported and efficient educational service and a big old dollop of GENEROSITY. Almost like the quiet kid in class who just gets on with it, the worlds happiest nations are making life work for them by being kind and thus being happier, and healthier, for it.

So, here at Pistachio and in aid of World Happiness Day earlier this month, we’re embracing this ethos wholeheartedly and encourage you all to go forth and be kind, you never know how much it might help!

Are you feeling generous? Maybe your brand has an exciting new product or event to promote – or you just think that your customers deserve a little treat? If so, get in touch with us today, we love helping brands to make their customers happy!