Mental health and blood pressure are a better guide to happiness in European countries than economic performance, according to recent research co-authored by a member of the Bank of England's rate-setting monetary policy committee.

The review of 16 European countries found that nations that regarded themselves as happy reported lower levels of hypertension. People in Sweden, the Netherlands, Denmark, the UK and Ireland had the fewest blood pressure problems, while those in Portugal, Germany, Italy and Finland were among those with the most.