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Panama, Paraguay top list of happy nations
December 21, 2012, Friday
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THE world's happiest people aren't in Qatar, the richest country by most measures. They aren't in Japan, the nation with the highest life expectancy. Canada, with its chart-topping percentage of college graduates, doesn't make the top 10.
A poll released on Wednesday of nearly 150,000 people around the world says seven of the world's top 10 countries with the most upbeat attitudes are in Latin America.
Many of the seven do poorly in traditional measures of well-being, like Guatemala, a country torn by decades of civil war followed by waves of gang-driven criminality that give it one of the highest homicide rates in the world. Guatemala sits just above Iraq on the United Nations' Human Development Index, a composite of life expectancy, education and per capita income. But it ranks seventh in positive emotions.
"In Guatemala, it's a culture of friendly people who are always smiling," said Luz Castillo, a 30-year-old surfing instructor. "Despite all the problems that we're facing, we're surrounded by natural beauty that lets us get away from it all."
Gallup Inc asked about 1,000 people in each of 148 countries last year if they were well-rested, had been treated with respect, smiled or laughed a lot, learned or did something interesting and felt feelings of enjoyment the previous day.
In Panama and Paraguay, 85 percent of those polled said yes to all five, putting those countries at the top of the list. They were followed closely by El Salvador, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, Thailand, Guatemala, the Philippines, Ecuador and Costa Rica.
The people least likely to report positive emotions lived in Singapore, the wealthy city-state that ranks among the most developed in the world. Other wealthy countries also sat surprisingly low on the list. Germany and France tied with the poor African state of Somaliland for 47th place.
Prosperous nations can be unhappy ones. And poverty-stricken ones are often awash in positivity, or something close to it.
It's a paradox with serious implications for a relatively new and controversial field called happiness economics that seeks to improve government performance by adding people's perceptions of their satisfaction to traditional metrics such as life expectancy, per capita income and graduation rates.
The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan measures policies by their impact on a concept called Gross National Happiness.
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, which unites 34 of the world's most advanced countries, created a Better Life Index allowing the public to compare countries based on quality of life in addition to material well-being.
Some experts said that's a dangerous path that could allow governments to use positive public perceptions as an excuse to ignore problems. As an example of the risks, some said, the Gallup poll may have been skewed by a Latin American cultural proclivity to avoid negative statements regardless of how one feels.
What do they say ...MOST POSITIVE
1. PARAGUAY
"The farmers, the peasants, they are happy and joyful despite the problems of everyday life, but the city dwellers, those used to the city routine, are very individualistic and colder because life is too fast and competitive."
- Franca La Carrubba, dean of psychology, Paraguay Autonomous University.
2. PANAMA
"We're naturally very happy. We have our problems in life but we forget them quickly and we start over; it's a question of culture."
-- Hildaura Ortega, 30, English professor, Panama City.
3. EL SALVADOR
"Salvadorans are positive, very contented, friendly people, but that doesn't mean we're happy. We live in a country with low salaries, where many are out of work and we're threatened by gangs and drug dealers." - Juan Carlos Hernandez, bank worker, San Salvador.LEAST POSITIVE
1. SINGAPORE
"We work like dogs and get paid peanuts. There's hardly any time for holidays or just to relax in general because you're always thinking ahead: when the next deadline or meeting is." - Richard Low, 33, businessman.
2. ARMENIA
"As for me, I feel fine and see no reason to be unhappy. But many people I know feel unhappy about various problems." - Lilit Babadzhanian, 28, medical worker, Yerevan.
4. GEORGIA
"There have been so many conflicts after the Soviet collapse, and so many refugees." - Marina Kupreishvili, 52, doctor.
4. SERBIA
"What is there to be happy about? Poverty, no jobs and even the possibility of more wars? The only strategy... is to get out as soon as possible." - Petar Jovanovic, medical student, Belgrade.
A poll released on Wednesday of nearly 150,000 people around the world says seven of the world's top 10 countries with the most upbeat attitudes are in Latin America.
Many of the seven do poorly in traditional measures of well-being, like Guatemala, a country torn by decades of civil war followed by waves of gang-driven criminality that give it one of the highest homicide rates in the world. Guatemala sits just above Iraq on the United Nations' Human Development Index, a composite of life expectancy, education and per capita income. But it ranks seventh in positive emotions.
"In Guatemala, it's a culture of friendly people who are always smiling," said Luz Castillo, a 30-year-old surfing instructor. "Despite all the problems that we're facing, we're surrounded by natural beauty that lets us get away from it all."
Gallup Inc asked about 1,000 people in each of 148 countries last year if they were well-rested, had been treated with respect, smiled or laughed a lot, learned or did something interesting and felt feelings of enjoyment the previous day.
In Panama and Paraguay, 85 percent of those polled said yes to all five, putting those countries at the top of the list. They were followed closely by El Salvador, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, Thailand, Guatemala, the Philippines, Ecuador and Costa Rica.
The people least likely to report positive emotions lived in Singapore, the wealthy city-state that ranks among the most developed in the world. Other wealthy countries also sat surprisingly low on the list. Germany and France tied with the poor African state of Somaliland for 47th place.
Prosperous nations can be unhappy ones. And poverty-stricken ones are often awash in positivity, or something close to it.
It's a paradox with serious implications for a relatively new and controversial field called happiness economics that seeks to improve government performance by adding people's perceptions of their satisfaction to traditional metrics such as life expectancy, per capita income and graduation rates.
The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan measures policies by their impact on a concept called Gross National Happiness.
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, which unites 34 of the world's most advanced countries, created a Better Life Index allowing the public to compare countries based on quality of life in addition to material well-being.
Some experts said that's a dangerous path that could allow governments to use positive public perceptions as an excuse to ignore problems. As an example of the risks, some said, the Gallup poll may have been skewed by a Latin American cultural proclivity to avoid negative statements regardless of how one feels.
What do they say ...MOST POSITIVE
1. PARAGUAY
"The farmers, the peasants, they are happy and joyful despite the problems of everyday life, but the city dwellers, those used to the city routine, are very individualistic and colder because life is too fast and competitive."
- Franca La Carrubba, dean of psychology, Paraguay Autonomous University.
2. PANAMA
"We're naturally very happy. We have our problems in life but we forget them quickly and we start over; it's a question of culture."
-- Hildaura Ortega, 30, English professor, Panama City.
3. EL SALVADOR
"Salvadorans are positive, very contented, friendly people, but that doesn't mean we're happy. We live in a country with low salaries, where many are out of work and we're threatened by gangs and drug dealers." - Juan Carlos Hernandez, bank worker, San Salvador.LEAST POSITIVE
1. SINGAPORE
"We work like dogs and get paid peanuts. There's hardly any time for holidays or just to relax in general because you're always thinking ahead: when the next deadline or meeting is." - Richard Low, 33, businessman.
2. ARMENIA
"As for me, I feel fine and see no reason to be unhappy. But many people I know feel unhappy about various problems." - Lilit Babadzhanian, 28, medical worker, Yerevan.
4. GEORGIA
"There have been so many conflicts after the Soviet collapse, and so many refugees." - Marina Kupreishvili, 52, doctor.
4. SERBIA
"What is there to be happy about? Poverty, no jobs and even the possibility of more wars? The only strategy... is to get out as soon as possible." - Petar Jovanovic, medical student, Belgrade.
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