Danes happiest in EU

Denmark may be chilly but it is the most contented place in Europe while Mediterranean countries are the most miserable according to a new survey.

Asked to rate their mood on a scale of one to ten, Scandinavians dominate the happiness league, with Danes averaging 8.3 and Finns 8.1.

Italians, Portuguese and Greeks are all at the bottom of the 'happiness' table.

The survey also indicated that, despite warmer summers, the British are becoming more depressed.

Their happiness rating has slipped in the two years since the last analysis by the University of Cambridge.

"The idea that people are happiest along the banks of the Mediterranean does not appear to be true," said Luisa Corrado, who led the research.

Lars Bernhard Jorgensen, head of the Wonderful Copenhagen tourist board, said that the secret of the region's happiness lay in its balance between work and family life, and city and countryside.

"We are a small country and there is not a great difference between the top and bottom economically," he said.

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