“Taking all things together, would you say you are: very happy, rather happy, not very happy, not at all happy?” and “All things considered, how satisfied are you with your life as a whole these days?”
These are the two questions which researchers asked majority of the population from different countries in the world. Despite the fact that poverty, inflation, political tension and economic problems abound -the world is actually getting happier!
“It’s a surprising finding,” said University of Michigan political scientist Ronald Inglehart, who headed up the survey. “It’s widely believed that it’s almost impossible to raise an entire country’s happiness level.”
The figures are based on the World Values Survey conducted by the United States National Science Foundation.
Denmark topped the list as the happiest nation, while Zimbabwe ranked as the least happy nation in the world. The survey was based from a study conducted in 97 countries.
Next to the Danes, Puerto Rico and Colombia make the top 3 happiest nations in the world. Meanwhile, Zimbabwe ranked as the most glum, with Russia and Iraq following suit. The United States took the 16th spot, right behind Switzerland, Canada and Sweden.
The most interesting finding from the survey is that prosperity contributes to happiness -but it is not the most important factor -personal freedom is even more important.
If you were the one who was asked these 2 questions, how would you answer? Do you think that you would be happier if you lived in a different country?
I didnt know that happiness is being measured by country, where in fact it shouldnt because conditions that affect happiness depend on the environment and location you’re at. Measuring it by country is a weak research. Just a thought.