Dimitri Burkhard
Switzerland has often topped other countries in happiness ratings. Why is that? What are the underlying reasons for all these good vibes among the Swiss?
In the decade since the release of the World Happiness Report, Switzerland has always played in the top 10 of the world's happiest countries, with only one exception. In 2015, Switzerland had even claimed the top position, leading the 158 nations that were surveyed.
The World Happiness Report is based on an aggregation of factors that contribute to life satisfaction. Among the measured data are GDP per capita, life expectancy, or freedom from corruption. However, keep in mind that it is not a ranking based on survey results of actual people's happiness feelings.
What factors make Switzerland so attractive? Here are the real reasons why Switzerland is the happiest country in the world...
Even at the most hectic times, we keep it cool and show no sign of stress.
Our public transportation is on time, tidy and clean, so we never worry about commuting.
When the roads are packed, we stay calm. And we get embarrassed when someone honks a horn.
We greet each other on the street.
WhatsApp does not cut it for friendships. We prefer spending quality time with friends at apéros.
Nature starts at our doorsteps.
We can drink delicious water from any public fountain.
Our lakes are cleaner than most swimming pools.
Having cows and other farm animals at every corner cheers us up!
Buying milk and eggs produced by free roaming animals makes us happy.
Most fruits and vegetables from the farm are "organic" by default.
We have Roger Federer, the King of Tennis. We feel happy when he wins a match.
And we have Heidi! Other countries might have Captain America and Harry Potter, but Heidi is Switzerland's true hero.
UNESCO have inscribed 11 sites on the World Heritage List for a reason.
86 percent of Swiss adults have earned the equivalent of a high school degree - that's higher than the global OECD average of 74 percent.
The apprenticeship system takes into account that not everyone if happy being an academic.
Those with a Swiss work contract enjoy four to five weeks of paid vacation per year.
By law, maternity leave lasts for 14 weeks, and paternity leave of two weeks.
Universal health care coverage means that seeing a doctor is not a matter of affordability. Appointment waiting times are among the lowest in the world.
Chocolate really is a happy food (and we have loads of good choices at non-ridiculous prices).
We have the wine of Italy, the beer of Germany and the food of France.
And we grow up as multilinguals, so we can order anything off the menu in Italian, German, French or English.
Having access to more than one variety of Swiss cheese is a major happiness factor.
We have the friendliest power sockets in the world.
We are as close to a direct democracy as you can get. Thus, we get to vote on everything and anything.
There are at least four viable political parties to pick from.
Contrary to popular belief, we don't take ourselves too seriously.
Wearing Speedos is still acceptable.
We get to enjoy all the Swiss perks for an average of 83 years.
Our broadband internet speeds are among the world's fastest: 113.01 mbps.
The Swiss flag is a big plus, too!
(Collaboration post with inputs from Alessandra, Christian, Dimitri and Gabby - Sources: Maternity Leave Switzerland, UNESCO World Heritage, broadband speeds)
