Our Gallic neighbours are miserable and pessimistic because they can’t cope with the modern world

[Ghost Dog]

... Senik’s theory is that French pessimism is caused by three factors. First, their schools are too good: “In France… the majority of pupils are used to getting bad grades. When they think about their self-worth or their value, they think about these grades, which are usually low or intermediate.” Obviously, it is a backhanded compliment, but British schoolchildren are happier because our education system is considerably more relaxed. Several decades of liberal-minded “pupil-centred-teacher-learning” (giving a child a gold star just for showing up to class) has created a generation of Britons who are used to being told that their minds are beautiful, no matter how empty they might be. Ignorance is bliss.

Second, the French have failed to cope with the loss of empire. There was a time when France claimed a vast portion of the world as its own and Paris drew hundreds of great artists to paint and compose. Of course, we’ve all had to get used to being America’s poodle or the marketplace for cheap Chinese goods. But France has taken the change harder because its national pride prevents it from getting with the 21st century programme. The professor points out: “There’s something deep in French ideology that makes them dislike market-based globalisation.”

By contrast, the obsession with the financial sector, long hours and easy dismissal that the French scornfully associate with Britain puts us in a better position to exploit the brutal nature of the globalised economy. Saying “non” to free market fundamentalism has not made the French happier people but simply poorer and more isolated. A classic example is Hollande’s proposed 75 per cent tax rate on incomes above 1 million euros (which has been sheepishly scaled down to 66 per cent). It’s a fine egalitarian idea in principle (make the rich pay for a crisis supposedly caused by the rich) but it has encouraged capital flight estimated at 53 billion euros.

Finally – and best of all – Prof Sendik says that France’s biggest problem is that it doesn’t speak English. She writes: “To be happier the French could do with learning more foreign languages… Being happy is not about speaking the foreign language itself, but about being able to fit more easily into this globalised world, which you can do if you speak English.” For every schoolchild forced to grind through boring French textbooks learning the words for table and pen, this must make for very sweet reading. It turns out that rather than the British learning French, the French should have been learning English and taking holidays here for practice. Let the mountain come to Mohammed...

/... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/9954894/Why-the-miserable-French-should-put-the-accent-on-English.html

Food for thought, while I'd in no way agree with the Torygraph's framing.

... Professor Claudia Senik: “I think the role of the primary school system in France is partly to blame. If unhappiness is partly due to someone's mentality, then people are forming that negative mentality at an early age in primary schools.

"One theory is that the grading system in French schools is responsible. In France, students are generally graded on a scale of 0 to 10 or 0 to 20 and it’s very difficult to get high grades. This means the majority of pupils are used to getting bad grades. When they think about their self-worth or their value, they think about these grades, which are usually low or intermediate.

"This view becomes ingrained since childhood, so they become dissatisfied with themselves.

“It is well documented that, in the United States for instance, children have a much more positive view of themselves, where school is more geared towards building self-confidence. This is not the case in France. In Nordic countries, too, pupils are not graded as much and the grades are much easier to achieve.

"To improve the happiness of French people the schooling system needs changing. It is too strict, and in primary school the children will do French, History and Maths but then only one hour of drawing and two of hours of gym a week. That’s ridiculous. It needs to be more multi-dimensional.

"I was amazed at the importance of sport in the American school system, but in France you really have to be a pure intellectual if you want to be happy at school.

“There are of course positive aspects to the French education system. They are very good academically, but not necessarily for making the kids happy."...

/... http://www.thelocal.fr/page/view/french-would-be-less-miserable-if-they-spoke-better-english#.UVLjeFeTKiA

Self-confidence, self esteem. These are very important & maybe a big reason why the UK's wealthy supporta socially-stratifying public vs. private educational system.