All these measurements are flawed in one way or the other. I think the best is to look at the statistics and supplement it with actual experiences of people living in various places.
I do think there are some flaws in the alternative metrics used. How much you laughed last week is a bit silly metric because how people express happiness differs a lot by culture. We Scandinavians e.g. can be quite happy without showing it in a very extrovert manner.
Different cultures amplify emotions differently. I notice e.g. that in many cultures with very visible happiness, you also see very visible anger and stress. Scandinavians e.g. seldom get very upset or angry. This is also part of why Scandinavia tends to score high on these kinds of metrics: Absence of unhappiness, stress and anger.
I agree weather matters a lot. The weather in Scandinavia sucks but not necessarily for all. I don’t like winter as a grownup but I loved it as a child. I honestly think few children have as good time as Scandinavian children. There are so many ways to play in the snow: sledding, skiing, ice skating, snowball fights, building snow castles.
That more Scandinavians move to Spain than the other way around…. Seriously?! That is a pretty dumb metric.
Scandinavians make a lot more money and can enjoy a very good lifestyle by moving to a cheaper country like Spain in their retirement. Spanish people will go broke if they retire in Scandinavia.
It is a pretty common phenomenon for Westerners with good economy to retire in cheap sunny places: Thailand, Costs Rica etc. But to conclude those countries are better to live in is a bit of a stretch. Better for whom?
It shows a problem with these kinds of measurements. We try to find averages but everyone are in different phases of their lives with different preferences and needs.
I returned to Norway after living for years in the Netherlands. Mostly due to higher salaries in Norway. If I had a ton of money the choice might have been different.
Places like Spain, Portugal and Greece have great weather, food and beaches but don’t necessarily offer the best economic opportunities and that will affect your well being. That a rich expats loves it in those countries is deceptive.
