Americans, in particular, also tend to underestimate the empathy of other people, the report says, because of increasing levels of distrust. This can lead to people hesitating to engage with others, despite the proven benefits of social interaction to our mental and physical health.

The United States fell to its lowest happiness ranking ever partly due to a rise in the number of Americans eating their meals alone, an annual UN-sponsored report said Thursday. Finland ranked as the world's happiest country for the eighth straight year in the World Happiness Report,

The US fell to its lowest happiness ranking ever, partly due to a rise in the number of Americans eating their meals alone, an annual UN-sponsored report said.