Let us begin with a note of caution: happiness is a difficult concept to define, let alone achieve. That doesn’t mean we don’t try to measure it, of course, or compare our own happiness to that of others.

With this in mind, the results of this year’s Happiness Index – a survey which aims to quantify Scots’ contentment levels with where they live – makes for interesting reading.

According to the research, Fife is the happiest place in Scotland, with a happiness score of +56, up by more than 20 points on last year.

To put this into context, the Scottish average is +40. Indeed, if you dig down into the research, which was conducted by YouGov, you find 41 per cent of Fifers say they are “very happy” with life in their community; the most content of all, apparently, are women aged over 65. Meanwhile, only seven per cent of people in the Kingdom said they were unhappy.

The statisticians have suggested Fifers’ focus on spending time with family explains their merry state, but it’s possible the beautiful countryside, stunning coastline, excellent leisure opportunities – and, of course, the friendly folk – has something to do with it, too. Anyone who has spent a holiday in the East Neuk can attest to this.

Interestingly, Fife’s near neighbour Dundee found itself at the opposite end of the index, recording the lowest score in Scotland, just +31.

And it was perhaps not entirely surprising to find out young people aged 18-24 are the least happy in Scotland. It is this generation, after all, that is struggling to establish the sort of life their parents and grandparents took for granted; crippling student loans, low wages, economic uncertainty and high house prices have made sure of that.

Surely, then, there is one obvious way to ease the stress of modern life for everyone who does not already live there: take a holiday in the Kingdom.