A University of Toronto study has indicated that you perform better at work if you are sad and cranky, and if your task is of the mundane type like paperwork or database filling.

On the other hand, if you want to be creative, you better move to Denmark. For, good mood still makes you more creative. (link)

First, win the European (Football) Championship. Then, be pessimistic — or at least realistic — regarding your expectations for the next year.

Researches publishing at the British Medical Journal have looked into the question why Denmark has over the years repeatedly topped the list of the happiest European nations, and this year came out the happiest nation globally. While several hypotheses were raised, the study points out two especially important factors: winning the 1992 European Championship, and the fact that the Danish people on average expect less from their future than do people from many other nations. (link)

The Republic of Vanuatu may be a small island nation in the South Pacific, and its GDP may be one of the smallest in the world, but according to the New Economics Foundation’s “Happy Planet Index”, published today, it is the place to go if you want to live happily. Says the website:

“‘The Happy Planet Index: An index of human well-being and environmental impact’, moves beyond crude ratings of nations according to national income, measured by Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to produce a more accurate picture of the progress of nations based on the amount of the Earth’s resources they use, and the length and happiness of people’s lives.”

The results as well as the methods are obviously up for debate, but here are some interesting results. The top five countries are the already mentioned Vanuatu, with Colombia second, Costa Rica third, Dominica fourth, and Panama fifth. Latin American countries generally dominate the top of the list that includes 178 countries, while the highest ranked country with one of the world’s major economies is China, which is 31st. From the G8 countries Italy is 66th, Germany is 81st, Japan 95th, the UK 108th, Canada 11th, France 129th, while the USA is 150th and Russia 172nd. Australia is 139th.

Somewhat surprisingly, the list of bottom ten countries includes places such as Russia (the said 172nd), Estonia (173rd) and Ukraine (174th). Zimbabwe is considered rock bottom at 178th.