The Cantril Ladder

Every year in March (since 2012), the University of Oxford’s Wellbeing Research Center publishes the World Happiness Report. It’s an extensive and exhaustive look at well-being data across 140+ different countries by researchers from a wide range of disciplines.

One of the research tools they use to determine global happiness rankings is called the Cantril Self-Anchoring Striving Scale (or the Cantril Ladder). Here’s how it works:

• You imagine a ladder with steps from zero to 10 (10 is at the top).

• The top step of the ladder (10) represents the best possible life for you. The bottom step (0) represents the worst possible life for you.

• Then you ask yourself the ever-important question: “What step of the ladder am I on right now?”

Since 2017, Finland has been the #1 ranked country for happiness. That’s closing in on 10 years straight of being the happiest place on Earth. Based on the 1-10 scale of the Cantril Ladder, they are collectively at 7.7 (for comparison, the US is at 6.7) – highest of all the countries in the world. What the heck are they doing that makes them so happy?

Before we dig in, I want to spare a thought for happiness. When I hear that word, I think of exuberance, joy, lots of smiling and laughing, puppy dogs, butterflies, and warm sunshine. Turns out, I really don’t understand what happiness is at a much deeper level.

Imogen West-Knights, a writer based in London, had the same question regarding Finland’s happiness. She spent a week there trying to uncover the country’s secrets. She wrote about her experience in Slate. It’s a fascinating read – a longer piece that’s worth the time. But there are two elements of her article that really jumped out at me – some we can learn and apply for ourselves…and some require an entire shift in thinking as a country.

Let’s start with what we need to change more wholistically as a country. The Finnish culture is focused on the broader good and well-being of its citizens. Things like social support, a perception of freedom to be who and what a person wants to be, and a low perception of corruption (both in government and in business) ranked incredibly well. By contrast, the United States struggled in these areas.

But here are the things that we, as individuals, can learn from the Finnish and do daily that have a true impact on our happiness – and, as stated earlier, it’s not about joy and exuberance. It’s much quieter, much more resonant, and, in many ways, much more lasting.

• Do something because it centers you or makes you smile. We don’t have to be working and hustling all the time. Do something that has absolutely no meaning other than the act itself. I think many of us were brought up to feel guilty if we weren’t always trying to be productive.

• Stay humble. As one of the Finnish women explained in the article about happiness: “Keep it to yourself, don’t boast about it. Don’t jinx it.”

• Eat meals with others. That may sound silly or trite, but there’s something to be said about the dangers of social isolation and loneliness. Eating a meal together reconnects us as human beings. Here’s a quick video from the World Happiness Report about sharing meals.

• Be grateful for what we have. To be clear, that doesn’t mean to settle and not strive for something better for ourselves and the world around us.

For what it’s worth, I gave myself a 7 on the Cantril Ladder.

Until next week!

Cheers,

Andy