A British psychologist has come up with a World Map of Happiness, showing Denmark to be the happiest country in the world.

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University of Leicester social psychologist Adrian White conducted the study, using factors including health, wealth, education and a sense of identity to determine a country's general well being, the Daily Mail reported.

Many of the countries that scored high were western democracies with welfare systems that provide education and healthcare. Larger countries, including Russia and China, scored low.

White said he believes large physical size detracts from people having a national identity.

White used 178 countries to create the map. He reported that along with Denmark, other nations that fared well in happiness include Switzerland, Iceland, the Bahamas, Brunei and Canada.