50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God by Guy P. Harrison Page A

But my random encounters around the world are not enough
to make sweeping judgments, of course. Scientific studies are much
better. One, in fact, indicates that Buddhists may be the happiest religious people in the entire world-despite not believing in a god. In
2003 researchers at the University of California San Francisco Medical Center reported that brain scans showed that Buddhist test subjects were likely to be happier and calmer than most other people.
"The most reasonable hypothesis is that there is something about conscientious Buddhist practice that results in the kind of happiness we all
seek," said Paul Ekman, one of the researchers. A second study by scientists at the University of Wisconsin found that Buddhist test subjects' brains showed unusually high activity in the area associated
with positive emotions, self-control, and temperament (BBC 2003).

    As a polite and positive person who happens to be a nonbeliever,
I have no desire to see anyone unhappy or lose something they depend
upon as a source of joy. But there is no reason for believers to avoid
challenging their reasons for belief. The fact is, one can be a nonbeliever and still be very happy. I'm living proof of it. I smile far more
often than I frown and I would describe my life to date as exceptionally happy overall. But I'm just one person. What about the entire
world? Do gods really inject joy into the minds of their worshippers?
If so, one would expect believers to be happier than atheists overall.
Let's see if this is the case.
    Although some studies have found that individuals who attend
religious services tend to be happier than individuals who do not, the
big picture is quite different. Adrian White, a University of Leicester
psychologist, created the "World Map of Happiness" by analyzing more than a hundred studies that questioned eighty thousand people
worldwide (Science Daily 2006). Although it was not the purpose of
the study, his findings shed some light on the relationship between
belief in gods and happiness. White's work clearly shows that high
levels of belief do not guarantee high levels of happiness for societies.
Based on the data, high levels of nonbelief seem more conducive to a
society's overall happiness than belief. According to White's research,
the top ten happiest nations on earth are:

    1. Denmark
    2. Switzerland
    3. Austria
    4. Iceland
    5. The Bahamas
    6. Finland
    7. Sweden
    8. Bhutan
    9. Brunei
    10. Canada
    What immediately stands out about this ranking is that the happiest
country in the world is also one of the least religious countries in the
world. Denmark is first in happiness and third in the world for percentage of nonbelievers among its citizens. Between 43 to 80 percent
of Danes do not believe in a personal god, according to research by
sociologist Phil Zuckerman (2005). This must be surprising news to
believers who think that belief in a god is the key to happiness.
    Switzerland ranks second on the happiness list and is also one of
the most secular nations in the world, ranking twenty-third for
"organic atheism" out of more than one hundred seventy countries
analyzed by Zuckerman. ("Organic atheism" is nonbelief by choice.
Zuckerman's rankings exclude nonbelief among totalitarian societies
where governments may attempt to impose it upon citizens and selfreporting of religion may be compromised due to persecution.)

    Austria, third in happiness, is right behind Switzerland in nonbelief with 18 to 26 percent of its population describing themselves as
atheist, agnostic, or nonbelievers. Cold but happy Iceland follows
Austria and also ranks high in nonbelief (twenty-eighth with 16 to 23
percent nonbelievers). The Bahamas does not make the list of the top
fifty nations of nonbelievers but sixth-place Finland does, at number
seven with 28 to 60 percent of its population happily finding their way
through life without gods. Sweden, seventh on the happy scale, has the
highest