When everyday life gets boring, we dream of leaving everything behind for a city or another country. Psychologists do not all agree on the subject: for some, a move boosts well-being, for others we quickly return to our usual level of happiness.
A work of World Happiness Report provides leads. By comparing countries, cities and migrants’ journeys, researchers measure where people live best and to what extent moving to be happier can improve or deteriorate their morale.
Moving to be happier: global figures
The report uses a scale: “Please imagine a ladder, with rungs numbered from 0 at the bottom to 10 at the top. The top of the ladder represents the best possible life for you and the bottom of the ladder represents the worst possible life for you. Which rung of the ladder would you say you are personally on right now?” explain the authors of the report, cited by Psychology Today. The happiest countries, such as Finland or Denmark, are around 7.5 out of 10, while the least happy countries remain close to 3.3.
Small countries saw their average score increase between 2014 and 2019, while it fell in large ones. Before the pandemic, the urban population declared themselves happier than the rural population, with an average score of 5.48 compared to 5.07, and certain cities, such as Helsinki, Aarhus or Wellington, were among the happiest cities in the world.
Migrating to a happier country: what newcomers experience
The report also focuses on people who change countries. The authors explain: “We separated the responses of the native-born from those of the foreign-born, then compared their happiness levels. The results show almost identical rankings between the two groups, despite a small lingering country-of-origin effect after migration and a tendency for migrants to settle in happier countries. So, among the 20 happiest countries in the report, the average happiness gap between natives and foreign-borns is only about 0.2 points in favor natives”, they summarize in the World Happiness Report. Newcomers end up almost at the same level of happiness as natives.
For psychologists, these results confirm an idea: the country where you live matters, but it is not everything. Changing cities or countries can offer the “fresh start” that helps break away from a toxic environment. Many eventually get used to it and find a level of happiness close to that before.
Does moving make you happier? What psychologists look at
Before packing your boxes, psychologists advise distinguishing between what has to do with the place and what comes from personal difficulties that are likely to follow. The report recalls that a safe and stable environment helps, but that it does not replace psychological support, solid relationships, or a credible life project in the new framework.