What makes you happy Yakima?

A warm summer day?

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Yakima Happiness Triggers

Our beautiful sunsets? A bottle of Yakima Valley wine or craft beer?  The sight of an apple orchard in full spring bloom?  A lazy float down the Yakima River in the hot August sun?  A  hike thru the wildflowers on Mt Rainiere? The anticipation of the change in each of our four seasons?

There are so many iconic images and activities that bring happiness to those of us living and loving life in the Yakima Valley.  Yet for all we have going on in the Evergreen State and across the good old USA, we are just the 16th happiest nation out of 146 reporting, according to the annual World Happiness Report for 2022 .  Hey, that's an improvement...up three spots from last year!

What Nation Is Happiest?

So who is happier than us and why? Finland!  5th year in a row!  Why?

Maksamme korkeampia veroja, mutta se tulee takaisin paljon ilmaista tavaraa hallitukselta... juomme paljon emmekä vain valita!

Rougly translated that means - We pay higher taxes but it comes back in lots of free stuff from the government...we drink a lot,  and we just don't complain!

Small In Population, Big On Happiness

The Top 10 Happiest Countries In The World

Finland

Denmark

Iceland

Switzerland

Netherlands

(for perspective, the combined poulation of the top five countries is 37,805,000         while the population of California alone is 39,538,000)

Luxembourg

Sweden

Norway

Israel

New Zealand.

What's The Key To National Happiness?

The World Happiness Report uses "global survey data" to determine how people evaluate their own lives.

So what might these countries do that America doesn't?

Jeffrey Sachs, one of the editors of the report,:

Now, at a time of pandemic and war, we need such an effort more than ever...And the lesson of the World Happiness Report over the years is that social support, generosity to one another, and honesty in government are crucial for well-being...Politics should be directed... to the well-being of the people, not the power of the rulers

Pandemic Gives A Boost To Better Behavior

 If anything, it appears that pressure from the pandemic squeezed a little more goodness out of us everywhere. The world poll shows Helping strangers, volunteering, and donations in 2021 were strongly up almost 25% above pre-pandemic level.

So Yakima, who can we help, what can we do, and to whom can we give in order to raise our own level of happiness?

Check out the video for a semi serious take on the reality of life in Finland.

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