While I would not want to move to Norway or Finland, if my worst nightmare came true and I was told I had to reincarnate, I'd try to pick Norway or Finland to be born in (I have specific reasons why but I don't want to say, especially as I'd feel compelled to describe what I'd see as the downsides as well, and to show I'm not just staring with rosy glasses, which I'm sure would not be appreciated).
That said, I'd beg for other options. I think many here would be prepared to make statements on my behalf that Earth is not my planet! 😛
The suicide rate in Scandinavian countries are attributed to long, lonely winters where people have more access too liquor (despite the insane price of it, even taking into account how much they make) than daylight at least half the year. There seems to be a lot of people distant from each other even when packed closely together, even more pronounced than (some of) the US, which likely adds to it.
But one can only make general statements since conditions vary widely even in a small nation or state (or even districts). And not just that, but circumstances. Some people can be really surprised where happiness can be found, just as they can with misery, and I think personal expectations (with the expectations of others a distant second) are also the biggest factor in happiness, which can be counterproductive at both the highest and lowest ends of the scale (but not necessarily).
While statistics, when done very carefully, have their uses, I think they're way too easy to read too much into (and miss too much) even when those gathering the stats do so in good faith and methodology (which is not my default view of them). Even when accurate as stated, it's still too easy to miss something or make a mistake when dealing with someone on the individual level.
www.abc.net.au
