As a Swede, I've always been confused by these results. The self image of Swedes is that we're fairly miserable on average, and don't know how to enjoy life as much as some people in warmer climates.
That said, note that both things mentioned in here will raise average happiness:
> But it turns out that the residents of the same Scandinavian countries that the press dutifully celebrates for their supposed happiness are especially likely to take antidepressants or even to commit suicide.
I think (as a fellow Swede) that there is a culturally sense of guilt involved in having a comparatively comfortable life and not being happy about it, compounded by a sense of guilt that a comfortable life is somehow undeserved.
Saying you are unhappy is in a sense saying you need a better quality of life, or deserve more happiness, both of which are kind of taboo under the Law of Jante.
As an introvert living in Rio de Janeiro, I can tell you that a lot of being happier in a hot climate with a lot of people around is just a social mask.
When I start deep questions about financial safety, the future and so on, just by asking I can be labelled as a pessimist. And I'm far from that.
I'm a fairly resolved and confident introvert, but I know many timid people that feel ashamed that they don't feel "happy" in these large group of people, that are extremely agitated and yelling around to grab some piece of attention they need.
And what is being shown in social media, documentaries and etc is just one pov.
It's a good point about living in a hot climate often being associated with living a happy life. Although to what I've seen, there isn't much evidence for such a correlation.
Well I feel cold in winter sometimes even with a coat on. It hurts when I go outside, so I stay inside more, but if I stay inside too much, it hurts.
The point about hot environments is true, but people are not anxious and your body rarely hurts. They are lazy and their minds blank out. It is often too hot to do anything except try to scam anxious northerners and move away from mosquitos.
I grew up in northern Sweden. You're definitely miserable even when dressed perfectly in -15°C!
You're right that once it gets over +30°C or so, you'll be miserable whatever you wear. But there is a large temperature range below that that is wonderful. The Bay Area is almost always in that zone.
It's currently above freezing, dark, and wet here in Norway about 40 km south of Oslo. I'd be a lot more comfortable if it were -15 C. The sun would probably shine for more of the day instead of being hidden behind dark clouds and it would be dry; going for a walk would be much more enjoyable.
That said, note that both things mentioned in here will raise average happiness:
> But it turns out that the residents of the same Scandinavian countries that the press dutifully celebrates for their supposed happiness are especially likely to take antidepressants or even to commit suicide.