In praise of … the Belfast smile

Glasgow kisses and Chelsea grins aren't nice things, and not long ago you'd have assumed the Belfast smile was nastier. But last week the government released the results of 80,000 interviews designed to supplement measures of wealth with measures of wellbeing , and Northern Ireland emerged as the UK's happiest corner . The regional differences weren't vast – sunnily disposed subjects were everywhere the norm – but the passing of the Troubles may have encouraged Ulster to count its blessings. It's not just past history but present economic precariousness which makes the result impressive. The six counties are mightily dependent on a public sector which faces cuts, and yet their average citizen reports satisfaction of 7.6, when ranking their life on a one to 10 scale. The tight communities that once made conflict so intractable now yield broader beams. That proves there's more to life than money – which should put a smile on everyone's face.