The Friday File: With GDP under attack for focusing on output and not well-being, look to the 2018 World Happiness Report. The happiest nation is Finland, followed closely by Norway, Denmark, Iceland and Switzerland, all small, reasonably homogeneous, wealthy democracies. The U.S. ranks 18^th. The only non-North American or European nations in top 19 are New Zealand in 8^th, Australia in 10^th, Israel in 11^th and Costa Rica in 13^th.