Fatter But Happier

New Zealand men are a little shorter than the Organisation for Economic Co-operation Development average and New Zealand women are quite a bit shorter according to the latest report from the Organization, a report released every three years. We watch the least amount of television, and place behind only France when it comes to how much time we spend eating and drinking. The study, which is based on government data and Gallup polls from the OECD’s 18 member countries, includes a broad spectrum of “social indicators” — from education spending and fertility rates to adult height and “life satisfaction” — to determine how the different societies stack up. Most New Zealanders rate their life satisfaction at 7.5 out of 10; the OECD average was 6.7. “Clearly you don’t have to have a really high average income to be pretty satisfied with life,” Massey University sociologist Paul Perry said. The study also shatters several national stereotypes: we play the least amount of sport, we have a problem with obesity, and we have less leisure time than many other countries.