10 facts about happiness from around the world

World Relationship Report 2017 from the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network reveals which countries are the happiest, ranking 155 countries globally. To measure happiness levels around the world, the report weighs six key variables: income; healthy life expectancy; social support (having someone to count on difficult times); bujari; freedom; and trust.

The same 10 countries have moved to the top of the list over the last five years, though they have shifted positions among each other. European countries top lists: This year, the report considers Norway the happiest country in the world, followed by Denmark, Iceland and Switzerland. Unfortunately, the United States has never been in the top 10, this year falling from 11th to 14th place.

Below are 10 discoveries about what inspires happiness around the world.

1. Self-employed people have higher estimates of overall life.

Self-employment has pros and cons. In developed countries, self-employed people report that they are more satisfied than those who are traditionally employed. However, they are also more likely to experience negative feelings such as stress and anxiety.

2. People are happier when they keep their social lives throughout the working week.

Most Americans feel happier over the weekend. But this weekend effect disappears when people work in a "high-confidence" environment - where they consider their boss not as a superior, but a partner - and when they participate in social activities throughout the week.

3. American happiness has fallen over the past decade.

For the last decade, Americans have reported the lowest and lowest levels of happiness. They associate their diminished satisfaction with less social support and personal freedom, lower donations, and more corruption in business and government.

4. It is important to give priority to your mental health.

Researchers conducted studies in the US, Australia, Britain and Indonesia to find out the main determinants of dissatisfaction and misery.

They found that getting a diagnosis for a mental illness contributes more to a person's happiness than income, employment, or diagnosed physical illness. "In every country, physical security is of course also important, but in no country is more important than mental health," the report said.

While efforts to eliminate poverty and reduce unemployment are crucial, it turns out that the most powerful way to reduce world misery is to eliminate depression and anxiety disorders (the most common forms of mental illness).

5. Have someone count.

People who have partners, solid relationships with extended family or simply someone to participate in it are much happier than those who do not. The report says that for every 10 percent of the population of a country that creates social support, levels of happiness jump by more than 20 percent.

6. Family, childhood and schooling affect happiness later in life.

For adults, levels of happiness are heavily influenced by someone's current economic, social and health status. While backgrounds are often overlooked, they also play a major role in determining the overall enjoyment of life.

7. Income is more important than education.

Respondents from all countries included in the report agreed that income is more important for happiness than education. Some of the richest people in the world are college abandonment, including Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates.

8. Happiness depends on the type of work a person has.

No wonder the employed people are happier than the unemployed, but the type of work goes into the game. The report finds that redwood jobs - in industries such as construction, mining, manufacturing, transportation, agriculture, fishing and forestry - tend to relate to the lowest levels of happiness.

9. It's not just about money.

Salary is not the only aspect of a career that affects one's level of happiness. The social status at work, social relationships in the workplace, the structure of daily work and setting goals also play a key role in determining levels of happiness.

10. Unemployment is "scarring".

Even after a person finds another job, explains the report, the dissatisfied feelings they experienced while the unemployed continued