Annual surveys of mental health across different countries has consistently found that people in northern European countries like Denmark, Finland, and Sweden are among the happiest in the world. These countries are comparatively wealthy, with high taxes, substantial social safety nets, and relatively few people living in poverty, but their residents are still, according to surveys, happier than people in other wealthy states. People from these countries score especially high on measures of trust in their neighbors, work-life balance, and feeling a sense of purpose in life. These cultures also appear to value contentment over joy, suggesting they may not get caught up in the pursuit of ever-greater excitement, and to value time in nature more than people in similarly prosperous cultures.