There are a lot of first dates that never make it to the second simply because someone couldn’t hold a proper conversation, or their behavior gave off strong man-child energy. At a certain point, it’s fair to wonder whether you’ve just been dating from the wrong pool, or maybe the wrong country entirely.
A new ranking from Dating.com, distributed by PR Newswire, looked at the world’s most “emotionally intelligent” countries, and the United States didn’t exactly cover itself in glory. It came in at No. 26 out of 31. Finland took the top spot, followed by Iceland, Ireland, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
Before anyone starts booking a one-way ticket to Helsinki, it helps to know what the ranking actually measured. This wasn’t some global census of excellent boyfriends. Dating.com averaged seven indicators tied to emotional health and social well-being, including psychiatrists per 100,000 people, suicide rates, mental health spending, therapy costs, volunteerism, social support, and freedom of choice. In other words, the list is really about which countries create better conditions for emotional functioning.
That still says plenty, though. If a country invests in mental health care, social support, and community life, the people in it may have a better shot at becoming decent communicators. Jaime Bronstein, LCSW, resident therapist at Dating.com, said, “Emotional intelligence is about empathy, self-awareness, and the ability to communicate openly.” She also said those traits have become even more important as stress, loneliness, and mental health struggles have gone up.
Finland’s placement probably won’t shock anyone who follows quality-of-life rankings. According to the report, it benefits from strong social programs, solid access to mental health professionals, and a culture that seems to take well-being seriously. Iceland followed with similar psychiatric access and strong social support. Ireland placed third with a relatively low suicide rate and close community ties. Switzerland ranked fourth and had the highest psychiatrist density in the list, while the U.K. rounded out the top five.
Top 10 most emotionally intelligent countries
- Finland
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Switzerland
- United Kingdom
- Norway
- Germany
- France
- Slovenia
- Sweden
No ranking can promise you a healthy relationship, and moving abroad won’t magically erase terrible taste in partners. Still, this list is worth looking into the “why.” Some places do a better job of supporting the emotional basics, and that probably helps when people are out here trying to date like real adults.
The post The Top 10 Most Emotionally Intelligent Countries, Ranked appeared first on VICE.
