A fascinating study that suggests go-go capitalism makes for unhappy civilians. The US along with Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland were pooled on life satisfaction. The research included 10,405 people from these 15 advanced industrialized countries who were asked, "All things considered, how satisfied are you with your life as a whole these days?"
On a scale of 1 to 10 -- with 10 the highest level of satisfaction -- the average rating for all respondents was 7.39, with respondents from the United States reporting an average of 7.26. The US had one of the lowest scores.
The study measured government intervention into the economy in four ways: government tax revenue as a percentage of its gross domestic product (GDP), government consumption of GDP, generosity of unemployment benefits and a country's welfare expenditures as a percentage of GDP.
"In many cases, less government intervention can allow for a more efficient economy, but greater economic efficiency doesn't necessarily translate into greater contentment with one's life," Flavin said. "If you get sick and can't work or lose your job and there are few social protections in place, you're more likely to be anxious and less satisfied."
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