Happy happy joy joy

Researchers from the University of Cambridge found that:

Denmark is the happiest nation in Europe, according to research published in Britain Tuesday, which ranks Scandinavians -- and the Irish -- top for contentment and Mediterraneans at the bottom.

Danes rated their national average happiness at 8.31 out of 10, with Finns second at 8.05, the Irish third at 7.98, Swedes fourth at 7.84 and the Dutch fifth at 7.78.

But at the other end of the scale, Greece ranked 13th with 6.79, Portugal 14th at 6.53 and Italy 15th at 6.27.

Suck our exhausts, Ireland! Suomi! Suomi! Suomi!

"The survey shows that trust in society is very, very important," said Luisa Corrado, who led the research.

"The countries that scored highest for happiness also reported the highest levels of trust in their governments, laws and each other."

The survey was taken in 2004, well before Paavo Väyrynen made his triumphant return to the government.