Are large, rich countries like the

Are large, rich countries like the USA happier than the rest of the world?Are countries with nice weather and good food, like Italy and Spain, happier? It seems the answer is 'no'. Research says that little Hapland, with its five-and-a-half million people, is the happiest country in the world. Why? The weather in Hapland is cold and rainy. Their neighbours, the Norwegians, are richer than they are and their other neighbours, the Swedes, are just as tall and blond and more sporty, but it seems they're not as happy. Tahiti or Bali might be more beautiful than Hapland but the people of Hapland are happier than the people in those exotic places. So what makes the Haplanders happy? We asked some students at the University of Hapland for their opinions... 'In 1992, we won the European cup! We beat bigger, stronger teams than us; that victory made us very happy . And, you know, they say blond people have more fun than the rest of the world; we have more beautiful blondes than anywhere else. Just joking!' Fritz 'I think small countries like ours are happier than big countries like the USA. America is rich and powerful but that doesn't make people happy there. In our country, the differences between the rich and the poor are smaller'. Agneta 'Hapland is safe. Our capital city, Copenhagen, is less dangerous than New York or London and there isn't much crime here. We have more freedom, we work less – we have six-week holiday every year – and we are not workaholics! We enjoy life.' Lars'People in southern Europe, you know, Italy and Greece, look happier – maybe they laugh more than we do, but they're not as content as we are. We're not as stressed as they are either – we don't worry about things like losing a job because here we have good social assistance – the state takes care of us.' Eva