Measures of experiences like smiling and stress provide a broad, population-wide indicator of psychological well-being across the OECD. Positive experiences - like reported laughing - indicate positive psychological states and negative experiences - like reported depression - indicate largely the contrary (there is one question in the index on physical pain. The remainder are psychological variables).

Iceland had the highest rate of positive experience in the OECD in 2006-09 (Panel A, Figure HE3.1 ). Mexicans, who often rank well on self-assessed subjective measures given their economic development, and Canadians also ranked high in positive experiences. Anglophone and Nordic countries also performed above average in terms of positive experiences. The bottom half of the OECD was dominated by continental western and central European countries. Japan and Korea also reported low positive experiences.

Denmark had the lowest rate of negative experiences, an experience was shared with its Nordic neighbours (Panel B, Figure HE3.1 ). The Anglophone countries were at or above average. High rates of negative experiences were reported in Israel, Spain, Portugal and France. While countries with high positive experiences scores tended to have low negative experience scores, this relationship was weak. Canada, Chile and the United States were all countries sharing a combination of relatively high positive as well as high negative experiences. The reasons for this pattern are not clear. It could be that individuals in those countries reported more positive and negative experiences, or that those who reported either negative or positive experiences in those countries were more likely to report more of such experiences.

Two checks suggest the data is meaningful. Because the data asked people their previous day experiences, such aggregate data may simply provide fast changing perceptions experienced only on the day of the survey. Alternatively the sample sizes could be too small to provide any precision. There was a strong relationship between Positive Experiences and the 2007 European Quality of Life Survey positive mental health index (Figure HE3.2). As these surveys were different samples, on different days, with different questions, the strong relationship at a country level provides reassurance of data validity. Countries where positive experiences were high one year also tended to be high in the next survey (Figure HE3.3). Again, this strong relationship shows that the data are not just random sample error or fickle swings of day-to-day mood at a country level.

Further reading

Anderson, R., B. Mikuliç, G. Vermeylen, M. Lyly-Yrjanainen and V. Zigante (2009), Second European Quality of Life Survey, Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, Luxembourg.

Figure notes

All data for Figure HE3.1 from 2009 except the Slovak Republic and Switzerland 2006, the Czech Republic 2007 and Australia, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden and Turkey, all 2008.

Gallup data for Figure HE3.2 are from the closest year to 2007, if there is no 2007 data. If there was Gallup data in 2006 and 2008 and not 2007, the more recent (2008) data was used.

Information on data for Israel: http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/888932315602.