[notahacker]

Without Forbes' editorial slant it's an index of prosperity rather than happiness.

Without any empirically verifiable data, you've basically got an index that's hugely dependent upon subjective perceptions and influenced by cultural views of how one ought to feel.

Does anyone really believe that Europeans are less "well-rested" than the Chinese who work 12 hour days to put cheap consumer goods on their tables? Is greater American scepticism about "working hard gets you ahead" because Chinese society is more meritocratic and entrepreneur-friendly, or because the Chinese have a greater cultural imperative to work hard? Is it fierce patriotism rather than a lack of violent political dissent in the past few years that leaves Thais more confident in their judiciary, finances and free choice than Westerners? And do the British really have little more reason to be confident in their financial institutions than the Zimbabweans, or are we just a nation of cynics?

[pedanticfreak]

Empirically verifiable data is good and all, but this so-called prosperity index is just a perversion of statistics.