 What makes people happy? And how do we measure happiness? A global group of leading researchers have been working on ways to measure and explain happiness, as well as looking at why some countries are happier than others. They look at data from the Gallup World poll. Included in the survey is the country ladder question. It asks people to imagine a ladder. The top of the ladder represents the best possible life for you, and the bottom of the ladder represents the worst possible life for you. On which step of the ladder would you say you personally feel you stand at this time? More than 100,000 people each year respond from all around the world, giving us a picture of a country's overall happiness. Countries such as Finland, Denmark and Switzerland have consistently ranked at the top of the list. Why is that? There are six explanatory factors that help explain the different levels of happiness between countries. First up is social support. In order to feel secure, people need to feel that at least one person would care for them when in need. This is the number one predictor of happiness and well-being. Next up is GDP per capita, or how much each country produces divided by the number of people in the country. Healthy life expectancy is next on the list. We look at physical and mental health. Freedom to make life choices plays a key role in people's happiness. Generosity is measured by looking at how charitable people are. The final variable is an absence of corruption. This looks at both governments and businesses. Policymakers, communities, families, businesses and individuals now have better guideposts to creating happiness. Each year, the World Happiness Report shares the newest insights in well-being science. We believe the best measure of progress is the happiness of people around the world. To find out more, check out worldhappiness.report.