3월 19일 CNN 기사 - 세계 행복도 조사

These are the world’s happiest countries in 2025(Wed March 19, 2025)

출처:https://edition.cnn.com/travel/worlds-happiest-countries-2025-wellness/index.html

• 1st paragraph
  • The world’s happiest country has managed to keep its No. 1 ranking for eight years running. The picture in the United States isn’t so rosy.
    • manage to-v: ~하는 데 성공하다
    • the picture: 상황, 정세 (여기서는 '행복도'와 관련된 상황을 의미)
    • isn’t so rosy: 그리 밝지 않다 (rosy = 장밋빛의 → 긍정적인 의미)
  • While Finland once again tops the World Happiness Report’s rankings, the United States — at No. 24 — earned its lowest ranking yet in the 2025 report. The 13th edition of the annual report marks the United Nations International Day of Happiness on March 20.
    • earn its lowest ranking yet: 지금까지 중 가장 낮은 순위를 기록하다
      • yet - 지금까지
    • mark: 기념하다, 나타내다
  • In the United States and parts of Europe, declining happiness and social trust have contributed significantly to the rise of political polarization and votes against “the system,” the report finds.
    • contribute significantly to (something): ~에 상당한 영향을 미치다
    • political polarization: 정치적 양극화
  • But in brighter news, global research shows that people are much kinder than we expect.
  • “People’s fellow citizens are better than they think they are, and to realize that will make you happier, of course, but it’ll also change the way you think about your neighbors,” said John Helliwell, a founding editor of the World Happiness Report.
    • fellow citizens: 동료 시민들
  • “And so you’re more inclined to think of a stranger in the street as simply a friend you haven’t met and not somebody who poses a threat to you,” said Helliwell, who is an economics professor emeritus at the University of British Columbia.
    • pose a threat to: ~에 위협이 되다
    • professor emeritus: 명예 교수 (퇴직 후에도 교수 칭호를 유지하는 교수)
  • There’s “room for improvement,” Helliwell said, in believing that we’re all part of a larger group that looks out for each other. It’s an important source of happiness that we haven’t properly tapped, he said.
    • look out for each other: 서로를 돌보다, 서로를 챙기다
    • tap: (자원, 능력 등을) 활용하다
  • The report draws on Gallup World Poll data from people in more than 140 countries. Countries are ranked on happiness based on their average life evaluations over the three preceding years, in this case 2022 to 2024. The report is a partnership of Gallup, the Oxford Wellbeing Research Centre, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network and an editorial board.
    • draw on: ~을 기반으로 하다, ~을 활용하다
  • The survey asks each participant to score their life as a whole and rankings are based on those life evaluations. The report then looks at six key variables to help explain life evaluations: GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity and perceptions of corruption.
    • key variable: 주요 변수
  💡[요약]
  • 2025년 세계 행복 보고서에 따르면 핀란드는 8년 연속으로 가장 행복한 나라로 선정
  • 미국과 유럽 일부 지역에서 행복감과 사회적 신뢰의 감소가 정치적 양극화와 체제에 대한 반대 투표 증가에 영향을 미쳤다고 지적
  • 보고서는 140개국 이상의 데이터를 기반으로 하며 행복 순위는 지난 3년간의 평균 삶 평가를 토대로 평가
  • 6가지 주요 변수 - GDP, 사회적 지원, 건강한 기대 수명, 자유, 관대함, 부패에 대한 인식

• 2nd paragraph
  • The happiest countries
  • When it comes to happiness, the Nordic countries are clearly doing a lot of things right. For the eighth year in a row, Finland is the world’s happiest country, with its neighbors clustered close behind.
    • clustered close behind: (여러 국가가) 그 뒤를 바짝 따르다
  • “Nordic countries like Finland continue to benefit from universally available and high-quality health, education and social support systems. Inequality of wellbeing is also low,” said Ilana Ron-Levey, managing director at Gallup.
    • universally available: 누구에게나 제공되는
  • Finland, Denmark, Iceland and Sweden – the top four – remain in the same order as 2024. And Norway is again No. 7.
  • While social support systems that look out for residents’ welfare are important to Finland’s No. 1 ranking, the people play a role too, according to Helliwell.
    • look out for: 돌보다, 신경 쓰다
  • “Having a welfare state doesn’t find lost wallets and return them to the owners,” said Helliwell, a longtime lost-wallet researcher, referring to data showing that Nordic nations rank among the top places for the expected and actual return of lost wallets. “Those are individuals caring about the people with whom they live.”
  • Other factors likely contribute to Finland’s strong performance as well. Helliwell said some Finnish experts point to the unity and trust that came out of the Winter War in 1939-40, also known as the Russo-Finnish War.
  • “They didn’t win that war, but what they did is they came together and realized even against overwhelming power they could do remarkably well … Sometimes the challenge posed externally can bring you together.”
  • A less materialistic mindset may also work in Finland’s favor, Helliwell said.
    • materialistic: 물질주의적인
  • “And these days, to focus on the personal rather than the material is of ever-increasing importance.”
    • ever-increasing importance: 점점 더 커지는 중요성
  • Two Latin American countries — Costa Rica at No. 6 and Mexico at No. 10 — both enter the top 10 for the first time in the 2025 report.
  • Both countries’ residents have “strong social networks and strong perceptions about the direction of their economy and confidence in leaders and institutions,” Ron-Levey said.
    • confidence in ~: ~에 대한 신뢰
  • The Netherlands (No. 5), Israel (No. 8) and Luxembourg (No. 9) fill out the top 10.

[요약]

• 핀란드는 8년 연속 세계에서 가장 행복한 나라로 선정
• 강력한 사회 지원 시스템, 낮은 불평등 수준 등의 요인도 있지만 사회 구성원의 특징도 무시할 수 없음
• 분실 지갑 연구자는 ‘복지 국가가 잃어버린 지갑을 찾아주지는 않는다.’라고 이야기 함 → 사회 구성원들이 물질주의적이지 않음

• 3rd paragraph
  • Lowest ranking yet for the United States
  • After dropping out of the top 20 for the first time last year, the US ranks No. 24 in the latest World Happiness Report.
    • drop out of ~: ~에서 탈락하다, 빠지다
  • “The decline in the U.S. in 2024 was at least partly attributable to Americans younger than age 30 feeling worse about their lives,” said Ron-Levey. “Today’s young people report feeling less supported by friends and family, less free to make life choices and less optimistic about their living standards.”
    • at least partly attributable to ~: 적어도 부분적으로 ~ 때문인
  • Last year’s report paid special attention to happiness among different age groups, highlighting declines among the young in numerous countries. The US isn’t the only English-speaking country with happiness challenges. At No. 23, the United Kingdom reported its lowest average life evaluation since 2017. Canada, which has seen happiness declines over the last decade, remained in the top 20 at No. 18.
  • While the variables that help explain life evaluations are complex, there is one “balm” that’s within everyone’s reach, Helliwell said.
    • balm: 치유책, 위안
  • “Look seriously at the people with whom you are working, with whom you are living, who are on your streets, and put on a rosier set of glasses when you’re dealing with them. And that’ll change your behavior in traffic. It’ll change your behavior in political discussions. It’ll change everything,” Helliwell said.
    • put on a rosier set of glasses: 더 긍정적인 시각을 가지다
  • Talking less and listening more helps with attitude shifts that can lead to more cooperation.
  • “Negativity is poisonous to happiness,” he said.

[요약]

• 미국은 작년에 20위권에서 탈락한 후 올해 24위를 기록했다.
• 같은 영어권 국가인 영국, 캐나다 또한 행복도가 감소하는 문제를 겪고 있다.
• 행복도가 감소하는 이유는 여러 가지가 있지만 모두에게 공통으로 적용되는 해결법
  • 주변 사람들을 마주칠 때 진지하게 바라보고 긍정적인 시각을 가지는 것