News for hackers. Stuff that matters.

A comment on Europe is now a corporate also-ran. Can it recover its footing?. Parent comment

Re:Europe is now a corporate also-ran. Can it recover its fo... by dieortin on Saturday June 12, 2021 @05:27AM (#27483050)
Are you seriously saying people in the north of Europe are happier than in the south? I beg to disagree.

Countries in the north have, for example, much higher suicide rates. I’d actually argue people in the south are happier than in the north. Of course, their economies are weaker. But that doesn’t have to translate directly into unhappiness.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Europe is now a corporate also-ran. Can it recover its fo... by marvin on Saturday June 12, 2021 @06:13AM (#27483287)
You'd have to argue why suicide rates that are measured to be higher trumps scientific attempts at directly measuring happiness. The latter does indeed rank Southern Europe lower than both Northern Europe and the United States.

https://countryeconomy.com/demography/world-happiness-index

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Europe is now a corporate also-ran. Can it recover its fo... by joelbluminator on Saturday June 12, 2021 @07:01AM (#27483560)
I think unemployment will usually translate to unhappiness. If you are unemployed 30-40 year what do you do? Start a family? Can't. Travel the world? Can't. Find consolation in religion? Very few people in Europe do that. Jobs are very very important for self esteem and mental well being.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Europe is now a corporate also-ran. Can it recover its fo... by relativ575 on Saturday June 12, 2021 @10:56AM (#27484907)
If we don't even agree on what happiness means, how can we decide whether people in the US or EU are happier?
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Europe is now a corporate also-ran. Can it recover its fo... by joelbluminator on Saturday June 12, 2021 @04:13PM (#27487150)
Well we can ask people how happy they are by making them score their lives, that's what most happiness researchers do. We can pretty much all agree on what unhappiness is right? Starvation is unhappy. Terrible war is unhappy. Mental illness is unhappy. Loneliness is almost always unhappy. I don't think it's as subjective as you make it to be. The pyramid of needs is quite universal.
[ Parent | on HN ]