The week unpacked: happiness, child Q and school uniforms

Olly Mann and The Week go behind the headlines and discuss what really matters.

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In this week’s episode we discuss:

luck

The tenth annual World Happiness Survey has once again put the Nordic countries at the top of the table. Why are the Finns and Danes so happy with their lot and why is no African country in the top 50? Some analysts suggest the result has as much to do with how the survey was put together as it does with actual levels of satisfaction — but for lack of other metrics, it seems the best guide to how the world is doing feels.

child Q

Two police officers were pulled from front-line duty this week after it was revealed they strip-searched a 15-year-old girl after her school reported that she may have been carrying cannabis. No drugs were found. The case has shed light on the number of children being strip searched by police in London – and has led to allegations that police and teachers are racially profiling youngsters.

school uniforms

Japan has a long history of rules about school uniforms that to Westerners seem surprisingly strict: it’s not uncommon for schools to dictate the color of underwear and require children to dye their hair black. Now, however, Tokyo public schools are relaxing some of the stricter rules after a survey of parents and teachers showed support for them is waning. Are the days of the school uniform numbered in Japan and elsewhere?