Whether it’s the rain, the bins, or the economy, we Brits are always raging mad about something or other (or is the UK just actually that bad?) We’ve always known we’re a miserable bunch, but the Global Mind Project’s Mental State of the World report only confirms it – revealing the UK to be the second unhappiest country in the world. Always the bridesmaid never the bride, hey?
The annual report measures the ‘mental wellbeing’ of the world, taking responses from over 500,000 people, across 71 countries, to look at six categories:
- Mood & Outlook
- Social Self
- Drive & Motivation
- Mind-Body Connection
- Cognition
- Adaptability & Resilience.
It admits this isn’t a traditional view of happiness or life satisfaction, but it’s still pretty grim reading for the UK. Our close neighbour of Ireland also ranked highly among the unhappiest countries in the world, coming 8th. But there was only one country that was deemed to be unhappier than us and that was Uzbekistan… Maybe someone’s finger slipped when filling out the form?
Why is the UK so miserable?
When it comes to the six categories, the UK ranks poorly for all. Most of all Mood & Outlook, which is your ability to manage your emotions and have optimistic thinking, and Social Self – “how you interact with, relate to and see yourself with respect to others.” Compared to last year, we had lower Drive & Motivation and Adaptability & Resilience this time around too.
A big takeaway from the report – where several African and Latin American countries topped the MHQ rankings – is that more wealth doesn’t equal more happiness. Mo’ money, mo’ problems essentially. And yes, the UK is still a wealthy country despite how it feels sometimes. Also concerning, the overall mental wellbeing of the world “remained at its post-pandemic low with yet again no sign of movement towards pre-pandemic levels.”
If that all wasn’t enough, the United Kingdom had the highest proportion of respondents who said they were Distressed or Struggling, ranging from 34-35%. The only answer for this poor mental wellbeing the report offers is the UK’s reliance on ultra-processed food, which is 60-70% of food consumption, diminished family bonds and access to the internet and social media via smartphones – especially at a young age.
The 10 Unhappiest Countries in the World
1. Uzbekistan
2. UK
3. South Africa
4. Brazil
5. Tajikistan
6. Australia
7. Egypt
8. Ireland
9. Iraq
10. Yemen
The 10 Happiest Countries in the World
1. Dominican Republic
2. Sri Lanka
3. Tanzania
4. Panama
5. Malaysia
6. Nigeria
7. Venezuela
8. El Salvador
9. Costa Rica
10. Uruguay
If you’d like to read the report yourself head here.