Oregon's Happiness Index

Where is the happiest place on Earth? If you thought Disneyland, think again. It’s actually Denmark. And there’s data to back that up.

The idea of measuring happiness has gained traction in the 21st century, and many organizations are collecting data to identify what makes people happy and where the happiest people are.

Although the United States may be on the top of many other lists, happiness, according to the data, is not one of them.

This year’s results have the same top three as the year before, except their order was rearranged. Denmark won with the happiest citizens averaging 7.526 on the happiness scale, followed by Switzerland at 7.509, and Iceland at 7.501. The United States ranked thirteenth at 7.104. The bottom three included Togo, Syria, and Burundi.

According to the authors, social cohesiveness was of much importance for the results of the World Happiness Report. Iceland's high level of trust helped its ranking despite a serious financial crisis, while Spain, Italy, and Greece fell in the happiness rankings in part because they lacked the cohesiveness to pull through their financial troubles.

The report also shows that people are happier living in a society where there is less inequality of happiness. To be noted, the happiness inequality has increased since the first report in almost all countries and regions of the world. Happiness, the authors argue, can provide a better indicator of human welfare than income, poverty, education, health, and good government measured separately.

The Happiness Index is based off a project from the Buddhist kingdom of Bhutan in the Eastern Himalayas. Their prime minister, Jigmi Y. Thinley, was determined to measure the gross national happiness. He then got the United Nations to invite other nations to measure their happiness as a guide to improve public policies. In 2012 the worldwide report was born.

In the 2016 World Happiness Index—the third of its kind—researchers ranked 156 countries based off surveys given to up to 3,000 people in each country. Each person was asked to rank their answers based on the Cantril Ladder—an imaginary ladder of ten steps, with the best possible life for them being the tenth step and the worst possible life being zero steps.

Participants were asked six questions for respondents to rank that were weighed with the GDP per capita: social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, generosity, perception of corruption, and everything else. The answers are then averaged per country, giving insight to the country with the happiest people by their own accord.

On a smaller scale, we asked ourselves how Oregonians can increase their equality of happiness. Based on the questions from the World Happiness Index, here are some sites and activities that we hope will enhance your mind and body, your values and virtues, and fulfill social and cultural enrichment while enjoying what Oregon has to offer.

Activities for Oregon’s Happiness Index

Experience Zen

The Zen Community of Oregon is a Soto Zen Buddhist monastery in Clatskanie. They offer meditation through authentic Zen practice to the public several times a week, as well as meditation walks in their Zen gardens. A 2013 study by Carlos III Health Institute found that meditation provokes a different expression of brain metabolites, specifically those metabolites linked to anxiety and depression. Meditation shows a strong link with well-being because it calms the body, reduces stress and anxiety, and supports positive thinking.

Visit botanical gardens

The Oregon Garden in Silverton is an 80-acre botanical garden with more than 20 themed gardens, from tropical to wetlands to rose or conifer. They offer tram tours and self-guided walking tours to enjoy the outdoor oasis. Group nature walks are linked with significantly lower depression, less perceived stress, and enhanced mental health and well-being, according to a 2014 study conducted at the University of Michigan.

Enjoy waterfalls and hiking trails

Silver Creek Falls is nestled in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains and includes 9,200 acres of hiking, biking and horse trails. The Trail of Ten Falls weaves through a dense forested area, with a series of breathtaking waterfalls in a 7.2 mile loop. Research has shown that a 50-minute walk in nature can improve your mood, decrease your anxiety, and improve your memory. A 2016 study also showed that a 90-minute walk in a natural environment can lead to measurable changes in the brain, and help combat depression.

Observe exotic wildlife

The Wildlife Safari in Winston is a one-of-a-kind experience. The park has over 76 species, most of which roam free as you drive a 600-acre safari loop. You can see exotic creatures from around the world including tigers, giraffes, zebras, lions, elephants, bison, ostrich, and bears. A Hiroshima University study focused on animal-people interaction concluded that “cuteness” not only makes us happier, it also improves our performance on tasks that require behavioral carefulness.

Walk below the canopy

Valley of the Giants is a 51-acre forest preserve in a remote portion of the Oregon Coast Range. Getting more than 180 inches of rain each year, douglas firs and western hemlocks date back hundreds of years and can stand at a regal 200 feet. Numerous studies have shown trees help people live longer, healthier, happier lives—to the tune of $6.8 billion in averted health costs annually in the U.S., according to research published in the 2014 journal Environmental Pollution.

Discover the mystery

The House of Mystery in Gold Hill is considered a vortex in which strange phenomena on the landscape create optical illusions. Objects seem to roll uphill, relative height can change next to another person depending on where you stand, and structures appear to be sideways. Research by psychologist Rich Walker of Winston-Salem State University showed people who engage in a variety of experiences are more likely to retain positive emotions and minimize negative ones than people who have fewer experiences.

Leafcutter and mason bees: Home gardener helpers

When talking about pollinators, often times the honey bee is the first we think of. While there is no doubt of their importance to pollination, their lesser known cousins—the leafcutter and mason bee—are much more effective pollinators. In fact, they are of more use to a home gardener than a honey bee.

Honey bee vs. leafcutter and mason bees

Honey bees are indeed great pollen gatherers, but leafcutter and mason bees are great pollinators. They carry pollen on their hairy abdomen and scrape the pollen off within their nest. Because the pollen is carried dry on their hair, it falls off easily as they move among blossoms. As a result, they pollinate more flowers than the honey bee, who wets the pollen so it sticks to its legs during transport.

While honey bees may visit your yard as they pass through, leafcutter and mason bees are permanent residents. The honey bee travels up to five miles from its hive to forage, but leafcutter and mason bees stay within 300 feet of their home. For this reason, housing these species in your yard will increase your flower and fruit productivity.

Leafcutter Bees

Leafcutters have the ability to handle extreme temperatures, and are most active in late summer, thriving in 80 to 110 degree weather. They are ideal for pollinating melons, blueberries, peas, and other late summer vegetables.

The leafcutter gets its name because it cuts leaves and uses them in their nest. They are particular about the kind of leaf they use; it can’t be too tough to cut with their mandibles, it can’t be too thick to roll for transport, and it can’t be too veiny to cut easily. In the Northwest, prefered leaves come from hostas, lilacs, roses, or bougainvillea. Having leaves they like within 100 feet of their home is essential or they will move on.

Mason Bees

The mason bee is a productive pollinator for early spring flowers, fruits, and nuts. They emerge when daytime temperatures reach a consistent 55 degrees. Generally, this is about the same time as cherry trees blossom.

What is unique about the mason bee is they gather nectar with their tongue at the same time they collect pollen on their underside. Because they gather pollen and nectar on the same visit, they are excellent cross-pollinators as they move between trees and flowers.

The mason bee gets its name because of its craftsmanship when building its home. An essential element to keep mason bees in your yard is to have available mud within 150 feet of their home. The mason bee packs its nesting hole with the mud, separating each egg chamber from the other, just as the leafcutter uses leaves. If they cannot find mud in your yard, they will vacate.

Mud for mason bees

You will need to keep a small amount of mud, about 9 inches wide and deep. Ideally, the mud should be in a hole in the ground and not exposed dirt or in a container. When in the ground, the moisture is higher and less dried from the sun.

When you dig your hole in a shady place, ensure there is clay-like mud on a sidewall. Mason bees prefer more compact mud because it is easy to carry in their mandibles. If it is too dry it will be difficult to carry and harder to pack into their “hole.”

Placing a bee home

Both leafcutter and mason bees are cavity dwellers and do not create holes or damage structures to make holes. They are opportunists that like a hole slightly larger than their bodies, about the width of a pencil, with a depth of about 6 inches. The same home can be used for both species because they are active during opposite seasons.

Homes often have the appearance of a bird house, with an open face and straw-like tubes piled on top of each other. The tubes are the “holes” the female will pack with her eggs. Each hole will have up to 15 egg chambers, each packed with pollen, one egg, and a leaf cutting or mud, depending on the species, to close the chamber.

Homes should face a southern or southeastern wall so morning sun will wake your bees to begin pollinating. If your climate has hot summer weather, consider a location with sun in the morning and shade in the afternoon. Prolonged direct sunlight will overheat the home and kill cocoons.

Do not place the home near a bird watering station. Your bees may become a tasty treat to visiting birds. If birds take interest in the bee home as a potential nesting site for themselves, placing chicken wire on the front will keep them out.

It’s important to not move the nest once bees have arrived. They know exactly which hole is theirs and may get confused and leave if the hole they remember is moved.

Getting started

Shonnard’s Nursery has a full-service bee department if you are in the Willamette Valley. There you can find everything from the bees to homes to accessories. Crown Bees is a good place for online orders. They too offer all you need to get started and maintain bee homes.

Crown Bees offers a program to trade excess bees for nesting material to use in the next season, as each year your bee population should double. Shonnard’s offers services to help maintain homes. Both companies offer items to help harvest and incubate cocoons if you should choose to winter them under protection of a garage or shed for maximum survival of the brood.