Finland has once again been declared the happiest country in the world, while Serbia ranked 30th, its best position so far, according to the annual World Happiness Report by researchers from the University of Oxford.
Speaking to Euronews Serbia about the criteria and relevance of this list, as well as whether happiness depends on social and economic circumstances or can exist independently of them, were psychologist and psychotherapist Jelena Milošević and Dušan Blagojević, founder of the YouTube channel Blago za Dušu. The interviewees particularly highlighted that Serbia ranks highly in terms of social support, suggesting that people may be happier than they think.
“Everything depends on how we define happiness. In fact, this research deals with the experience of personal well-being. This means the perception of the quality of one’s own life – how satisfied you are on a daily basis with the way you live. Calling a country ‘the happiest’ may sound sensational, but happiness is actually an emotion we experience when we achieve a goal. That is why it is important to distinguish between happiness and a general sense of satisfaction. Sometimes people who want to work on themselves and change certain aspects of their lives come to psychotherapy and say: ‘I want to be happy’. This can create the impression that happiness should be a constant state, which is neither realistic nor possible, and this is why they feel dissatisfied,” says Jelena Milošević.
It is important, she continues, to understand that we cannot be constantly happy, but we can live a fulfilling life in line with what matters to us. Our personal well-being is shaped by many factors – both socio-economic and personal, internal ones. Understanding this from the outset is key to having a realistic view of happiness and quality of life.
“When I think about happiness, I realise that it is truly an individual experience. It is difficult to speak of some overall coefficient of happiness, but well-being – that is the feeling I carry within my soul, the sense of peace or unrest that accompanies me,” says Blagojević.
He points out that he finds it particularly interesting that, although Serbia ranks 30th overall, it places highly in terms of social connectedness.
“The etymology of the word ‘happiness’ teaches us that it actually comes from encounters, meetings, coming together… And it is precisely through these encounters, through a helping hand in difficult moments, that I feel people here can be content and have a sense of well-being, even if they may not have the material wealth found in Finland,” he says.
He adds that he believes each of us can be at least a little happy if we turn towards the people around us, if we lift our gaze from our screens and see another person’s face: “Then my day becomes more fulfilled and happier. Even if I am not always completely satisfied or happy, when I find meaning in what I do, I feel fulfilment and inner peace.”
(Euronews, 21.03.2026)