airbornesapper

Apparently the UN Conference on Happiness (WTF)...just voted Canada 5th:

http://issuu.com/earthinstitute/docs...olor=%23222222

US, 11th

UK, 18th...

China, 111th

Great News...and fantastic use of member nation contributions

Former Lancastrian

Any idea who Canada sent to represent us so I can personally thank them for putting our case forward and feel good about the result they achieved.
Im assuming tax dollars were spent on this delegation.

Almost Canadian

You gotta love academics

Former Lancastrian

Almost as much as Lawyers

airbornesapper

Perhaps the answers you seek are in here....

http://www.earth.columbia.edu/articles/view/2960

My guess is this fella, one John Helliwell: [email protected]

Apparently a UBC prof who is quite up on "Happiness"...What a life. Beats working.

Tax payer dollars...Working for You...

Former Lancastrian

158 pages of big words, buzz phrases, charts, diagrams and graphs.
Basically a load of bollocks.
Im pretty sure we know what makes us happy though I guess these highly paid academics need to justify their positions in life.

Almost Canadian

No. No one should love them. Despicable people, every last one of them

Oink

Former Lancastrian

Of course we love Lawyers Well only the prosecuting ones in Criminal Law or Family type where you are the one shafting the other party
Though I guess if I did do something Criminal I would want a good defending Lawyer as opposed to some Legal Aid assigned one.

London Mike

Yes, because what have those pointless academics ever given us?

Former Lancastrian

Im wondering if you were aware that you lived in the 5th ranked country for happiness before this thread started? Now you are aware will you be more friendly and happy so that we might get into 3rd place the next time they vote on it?
Is this revealing fact going to change your life and the way you do your job?
Will more countries be wanting to trade with us or increase trade because we are #5 on the happy scale?
There again it could increase the number of immigrants wanting to live here as we are happier than the country they are emigrating from even if they have no job waiting when they get here as its all about being happy.
If your boss is about to lay you off due to fiscal restraints will he feel better about it because he lives in Canada as opposed to the UK?
Incidentally I just watched one of the authors talking about this on the Lang & OLeary show on CBS Newsworld even Amanda Lang was somewhat sceptical about their findings or how they came to their results.
Notice the top countries are ones who have cold winters so I guess people living in the Bahamas, US Virgin Islands, Bermuda etc etc are miserable then

airbornesapper

Syria...did better than expected...I am sure Assad will take that as a vindication that he is on the right path. If it was colder then, they could have been top...who new...

WALOFB...

London Mike

The point I'm making, which seems to be escaping you, is that studies like this have nearly always been conducted by academics trained methodologically to answer these sorts of questions, empirically.These conclusions are not just buzz words, big words and bollocks but the outcome of a process by people who fully justify their positions in life every day. It was a funded study, it was extensive and cross-cultural. I'm sorry, but unless you're a social scientist you have no qualification to write it off as bollocks.

Would you argue that academia is pointless and makes no contribution to society then? It's not all about finding a cure for cancer, you know.

Oink

Former Lancastrian

Studies are done everywhere on a variety of subjects by all types of people some who are not academics.
So after extensive research and funding they came to the conclusion that Canada ranks 5th in Countries on a happiness scale.
OK so will the result change anything in yours or mine day to day life?
Do Canadians really give a shit or are we all now driving around with flags proclaiming we are number 5 and going woohoo.
Im sorry you have just lost your job but be happy in the fact that you live in the 5th happiest country in the world.
Seriously what was the point of this study and what does it achieve and will we as Canadians benefit in anyway.
A recent study shows that Irish people from Dublin are more likely to support Liverpool than Manchester City. Wow thats gonna change the world.
I guess I really am missing the point and why these studies are important.