Across the country as a whole, 25 percent of Brits have said that their happiness levels have decreased. At the other end of the scale, the West Midlands was revealed as the area where joy had declined the least, with only 17 percent reporting feeling less positive about things, followed closely by the East Midlands.
The UK's most miserable places have been revealed, with locations in Essex and Worcestershire ranking bottom. Colchester has officially been rated the UK's most miserable place to live, ranking bottom of the Government's 'happiness index'.
Cambridge, Brighton and Bristol are among the happiest places to live and work in the UK. The study, conducted by job website Glassdoor's Economic Research team, analysed over 100,000 anonymous employer reviews from 20 cities. Cambridge scooped the top spot, earning a winning score of 78.2% job satisfaction.
With some of the best beaches in the country nearby, crystal clear waters that could rival the Mediterranean and an abundance of culture on their doorstep, the happiest people in the UK are the cheery residents of St Ives, in Cornwall.
Taking the crown for the happiest London borough is Richmond upon Thames. In second place is Islington, followed by Westminster in third and Wandsworth and Southwark in fourth and fifth respectively. Several of these boroughs are known to be more leafy and prosperous, but they're also some of the wealthiest too.
Wales has taken the crown for being home to the quietest place in the whole of the UK: Powys, which is its largest county. With only 26 people per square kilometre, you can be promised a quiet stay in this amazing place, and find a true escape from the hustle and bustle of daily life.
1. Finland: For the sixth year in a row, Finland is the world's happiest country, according to the World Happiness Report. Aleksanterinkatu (Aleksi Street) in Helsinki is pictured.
“Queensland's known as the Sunshine State. All those rays and the laid-back lifestyle might be among the reasons why it's Australia's happiest state,” Bayliss said.
Australia has been named the 12th happiest country in the world.
Liverpool, England
Another survey (there are a lot of them!) found that Liverpool was the kindest city in the UK; the place where locals were more likely to perform random acts of kindness than anywhere else in the country.
Riggs Moor in the Yorkshire Dales National Park is England's most remote place, where civilisation is almost cut off as the nearest restricted local-access road is a mere 2.4 miles away.
The report, which draws on global survey data from people in more than 150 countries, placed Finland in the top position for the sixth year in a row, with a happiness score significantly ahead of all other countries.
The highest rate was in Brinnington, a suburb of Stockport, in Greater Manchester, where 23.6% of patients were depressed.
While the seaside city of Brighton was crowned the wellness capital, other places include York, Bournemouth, Cambridge, and Scotland's Edinburgh — all praised for their high wellness scores and long life expectancy. If you're planning on relocating, Warrington, Southend-on-Sea, Oxford and Leeds also made the top 10.
Australia scored highly in the United Nations' 2022 World Happiness Report, ranking as the 12th happiest country out of 156 countries – ahead of Canada (15th), the United States (16th) and the United Kingdom (17th).
The United Nations process the annual World Happiness Report to understand what happiness is and how it affects our lives, cultures and economy. Australia is ranked under 12, Canada 15 and the United States is 16th and a popular destination for most South Africans, the United Kingdom is 17th.
It's not just about the famous sunshine and beaches. 91% of Australians say they are happy with their water quality. Air quality in Australia is also highly rated. PM10 is a tiny particulate matter that can harm human health.
The main recipients of the pandemic-era migration were south-east Queensland and small coastal communities with more spacious homes, according to analysis by The Australian Financial Review of newly released regional population data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
1. Finland. For the sixth year running, Finland has been named the happiest country in the world. Measures such as generosity (in Finland, people highly likely to expect lost wallets to be returned, for example), income, freedom of choice and life expectancy can explain why this country keeps coming out on top.