Dutch men have more positive emotions in their lives than Dutch women; they feel more calm and composed and are often happier. Dutch men and women are equally satisfied with life, but more women than men find life meaningful, as reported by Statistics Netherlands in a published survey on wellbeing in the Netherlands, Welzijn in Nederland.

The main difference between men and women is where feelings of calm are concerned. Seventy-two percent of men are (almost) always calm versus 61 percent of women. Women have more negative emotions than men: they are more often nervous, sombre and down.

More women find life meaningful

On the whole, the Dutch are contented people: 85 percent are satisfied with life. There is no difference between men and women in this respect. However, more women than men find the things they do in life meaningful: 91 versus 87 percent.

Half of Dutch men have a high level of wellbeing

Satisfaction with life, positive and negative emotions and the meaningfulness of life combined form the general subjective wellbeing. Men experience a higher level of general wellbeing than women. Over half of all adult men experience a high level of wellbeing in all underlying aspects, versus four in ten women. The main reason for this is difference in emotions. Women experience a medium-high level of wellbeing more often than men (55 vs. 46 percent). A small group of 3 to 4 percent have a low level of general wellbeing.