Post: #1

http://news.yahoo.com/10-happiest-countr...EEc2VjA3Ny

For the first time in a decade, the top 10 happiest countries in the world are all in Latin America, according to the 2014 Gallup Positive Experience Index.

Paraguay placed first out of 143 countries, with its people reporting the most positive emotions on a daily basis, according to the survey. Gallup researchers released the results for the United Nations' third annual International Day of Happiness today (March 20).

To gauge happiness levels around the world, researchers interviewed about 1,000 people in each country, either in person or over the phone. All of the participants were age 15 or older, and answered questions about how happy they felt the day before. [See how each of the 143 countries placed on the 2014 list]

More than 70 percent of the respondents worldwide said they experienced enjoyment; smiled or laughed; felt well rested; and thought they were treated with respect, the poll found. What's more, half of the participants said they had learned or did something interesting the day before the interview, according to the poll.

Gallup researchers compiled a "positive experience index score" for each country based on the responses to these five questions. Overall, the world has an average index score of 71 out of 100, but all of the Latin American countries that ranked in the top 10 scored higher than that.

Here are the 10 happiest countries, listed with their positive experience index scores (see link above)

Post: #2

This makes no sense.

Post: #3

That poor but happy narrative is bullshit, Latinos are so happy, but so many are busting ass to get to the United States? Then when they get here they're sending money to relatives back home, you know, all those happy relatives?

Post: #4

(03-27-2015 01:41 PM)jariel Wrote:  That poor but happy narrative is bullshit, Latinos are so happy, but so many are busting ass to get to the United States?

Let's apply that logic to other forum truisms:

If American girls are so fat and obnoxious, why do I keep meeting hot ones who cook me meals from scratch and text me back within 5 minutes?

Post: #5

Jariel, I agree with your point but I think there's a lot more to it than money, such as:

-Importance placed on family
-Good weather
-Traditional Gender Roles
-Good Culture
-Dancing/Music

Just some thoughts.

Post: #6

(03-27-2015 01:48 PM)Tuthmosis Wrote:  

(03-27-2015 01:41 PM)jariel Wrote:  That poor but happy narrative is bullshit, Latinos are so happy, but so many are busting ass to get to the United States?

Let's apply that logic to other forum truisms:

If American girls are so fat and obnoxious, why do I keep meeting hot ones who cook me meals from scratch and text me back within 5 minutes?

What happened to the Team No Apps part of your signature? It's like the IRT stuff bumped everything else off.

Post: #7

There could be a confounding variable if in Latin cultures people placed a high value on appearing to be happy or not complaining about their problems. That said most of the first gen Latinos I know are happy as shit.

Post: #8

#7 is Venezuela? I have too many friends that live there or have family there. I'm not hearing about Venezuela being one of the happiest place on Earth. They just hope to be able to buy the basics. I think this study is flawed.

Post: #9

(03-27-2015 01:49 PM)Seth_Rose Wrote:  Jariel, I agree with your point but I think there's a lot more to it than money, such as:

-Importance placed on family
-Good weather
-Traditional Gender Roles
-Good Culture
-Dancing/Music

Just some thoughts.

I agree with this to an extent. I've been dealing with illegal immigrants for all my life and if you talk to some, most say they want to go back to their country some day. They just don't find the lifestyle in the U.S. appealing at all. They are pretty much here in the U.S. for the money, not so much because they want to live here or are happy here and I don't blame them. They have a beach 5 hours away from either direction in Mexico. Nice warm weather, better food, and simpler life. The downside is the money which is why they come to the U.S. For the most part, Mexican immigrants find the U.S. boring and depressing.

Post: #10

Good weather and food mitigate, although they don't eliminate, shitty economic conditions. Same goes for places like Italy and Greece. Life ain't that bad when it's 70 degrees year round.

Post: #11

Beautiful women, beautiful weather, good food.

What's the point of busting your ass in the cold if you can't enjoy the small things in life?

Post: #12

I'm from a country where a lot of people are doing what they can to survive, but I wouldn't consider them to be happy.

I think a lot of people are content because they've realized that they can't do any better in life, but to say that they're happy is disingenuous.

Post: #13

I think this phenomena is known as the Paradox of Happiness where the happiest people in the world tend to also be the poorest. It makes sense to me as in places that lack materialism and consumerism, a lot more emphasis is placed on family, friends and people overall. I know several immigrant families who came for economic opportunities and betterment for their children. Most appreciate the economic and educational opportunities they find in the West, as well as the ideological underpinnings that enabled such environment(individualism and weak family/group structures, capitalism, etc) but they also lament the coldness in relationships found among westerners.
I recall reading ages ago about the Sudanese lost boys who were relocated to one of the big empty states in the middle, perhaps South Dakota; one of them said it was only when he arrived in the States that he knew the meaning of loneliness as he had never spent a day of his life alone until then.
Even on this forum, many men lament the shallow and transactional nature of relationships in the West and the difficulty of forming close ties. People are also not very family oriented in the sense that close toes with families is not a priority, especially in the pursuit of commerce. One example of that is mother jokes. One Kenyan friend admitted that it took him a while to adjust to mother jokes because such jokes would get a man a knife between the ribs in other parts of the world.
In very developed countries like Sweden or Finland or Japan, where material comforts are pretty much guaranteed, the rates of depression and dissatisfaction with life probably are higher. These are also societies that are difficult to penetrate, where people are considered "cold" or "odd". The innate human need for connection, even if you're a self styled introvert, is universal and no amount of material comfort can take its place.

Disclaimer: I'm making assumptions about rate of unhappiness in the Scandinavian countries. They always struck me as melancholy people with high suicide rates.

Post: #14

The question though is how many poor but happy people would trade that to be wealthy but less happy? I wouldn't say America is unhappy, though not happy either, I think we are somewhere in the middle.

Post: #15

Quote:The poll did not measure each country's gross domestic product (GDP), but instead focused on drivers that are key to positive emotions, such as laughing and feeling respected.

I guess the fuckers are taking the GROSS NATIONAL HAPPINESS to the next level.

It does not matter how much material possessions you have, whether you can afford decent housing, food and education. Laughing and feeling respected should suffice.

I saw proper happiness studies some time ago. In the 1950s the USA ruled by a wide margin. By the 1980s and 90s the Scandinavian countries were in the top lead with most South American countries being in the lowest parts.

Now Scandinavian countries like Sweden and Denmark are raping themselves with marxist multi-culturalism while most countries impact their net happiness through a deterioration of effective living standards.

While happiness is an internal value you have to attain a basic level that is fit for the year 2015 - happiness plateaus at a certain level, but 75.000$ isn't it in the US by a long shot.



While that number is lower in South America, I seriously doubt the general assessments from that shitty globalist poll.

This number here for the US would be probably right - the same goes for most countries - after a certain sum happiness is not added tremendously, but that basic level is still quite high relative to the average income.




http://icanhasscience.com/psychology-stu...happiness/

Of course there are other factors which contribute to the general misery of a country - weather, sun-exposure, food, general attitude of the people etc. - still discounting economic aspects is just stuffing a homeless person with meth and heroin to make him smile like a fool.


Another happy man from the survey.

Post: #16

After having lived in Peru for almost one year now, I beg to differ that Venezuela is happier than Peru. There's large immigrant Peruvian communities in Venezuela who are trapped and are begging to return home but can not. And if people are begging to come back to Lima compared to wherever they are at in the world that's saying a lot about the economic conditions of their current city. I call bullshit with this author.

Here in Peru we don't have lines extending around the corner in order to just buy some milk, and homicides every two minutes. The reporter is a joke. Probably a Marxist sympathizer whose only traveled on volunteer projects to third world countries.

Post: #17

(03-27-2015 10:12 PM)Spectrumwalker Wrote:  After having lived in Peru for almost one year now, I beg to differ that Venezuela is happier than Peru. There's large immigrant Peruvian communities in Venezuela who are trapped and are begging to return home but can not. And if people are begging to come back to Lima compared to wherever they are at in the world that's saying a lot about the economic conditions of their current city. I call bullshit with this author.

Here in Peru we don't have lines extending around the corner in order to just buy some milk, and homicides every two minutes. The reporter is a joke. Probably a Marxist sympathizer whose only traveled on volunteer projects to third world countries.

They likely called up people living in luxury high-rises and asked them how happy they are.

Also keep in mind this little gem:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/hig...in-america

The happiest and the unhappiest workers:

Quote:Male
39 years old
Married
Household income between $150,000 and $200,000
In a senior management position
1 young child at home
A wife who works part-time


And the unhappiest profile?:

Female
42 years old
Unmarried (and no children)
Household income under $100,000
In a professional position (doctor, lawyer, etc.)

Post: #18

(03-27-2015 04:09 PM)jariel Wrote:  I'm from a country where a lot of people are doing what they can to survive, but I wouldn't consider them to be happy.

I think a lot of people are content because they've realized that they can't do any better in life, but to say that they're happy is disingenuous.

Many would argue that contentedness is the very foundation of long-term happiness. It's the basis of many Eastern philosophies.

And I see a lot of people saying that such-and-such country isn't happy, but how many happy people do you know in the "rich" Western world?

What are the unemployment and poverty numbers looking like in the US these days? How many people are on prescription meds or abusing some other substance to manage their moods?

Hell, this forum wouldn't even exist if it wasn't for guys being unhappy in the West.

Post: #19

(03-27-2015 02:42 PM)Gringuito Wrote:  #7 is Venezuela? I have too many friends that live there or have family there. I'm not hearing about Venezuela being one of the happiest place on Earth. They just hope to be able to buy the basics. I think this study is flawed.

Further to that, I call BS simply based upon homicide rates. I would be 82 times more likely to be murdered in Honduras than in my native country of Australia, or 31 times more likely than in my adopted country of Taiwan.



This poll is bullshit. Who the hell can claim that these countries are the happiest on the planet when several also have the highest homicide rates on the planet? "We're all happy as shit because we go out dancing six nights a week. Sure, my cousin Pedro was shot at the salsa dance hall last Wednesday, and uncle Jorge was knifed the week before, but good times dude, good times."

Post: #20

(03-28-2015 07:04 AM)Feisbook Control Wrote:  

(03-27-2015 02:42 PM)Gringuito Wrote:  #7 is Venezuela? I have too many friends that live there or have family there. I'm not hearing about Venezuela being one of the happiest place on Earth. They just hope to be able to buy the basics. I think this study is flawed.

Further to that, I call BS simply based upon homicide rates. I would be 82 times more likely to be murdered in Honduras than in my native country of Australia, or 31 times more likely than in my adopted country of Taiwan.

Then why did you expatriate to a country where the homicide rate is almost 3 times as high

Post: #21

(03-27-2015 04:09 PM)jariel Wrote:  I'm from a country where a lot of people are doing what they can to survive, but I wouldn't consider them to be happy.

I think a lot of people are content because they've realized that they can't do any better in life, but to say that they're happy is disingenuous.

By the same token, most people in the 1st world have their basic needs taken care and I wouldn't consider many happy.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but most of those countries listed are very family oriented.

Maybe so out of necessity for survival, but you have a group of people working as a unit.

Compared to here, in the states, where people are more independent and are suppose to make it on their own. I can see working as a family unit would add to that happiness. You are part of something greater.

Here we are sold on not being content but doing better for ourselves. That also leads to many people being unhappy in that quest for something better.

Post: #22

I think the poor but happy thing is completely true.

In Latin America, people are more connected to their fellow human beings. Families are more united. This is the ultimate source of happiness, I believe.

In the U.S. most of the functions of the family are either relegated to the government or to the market.

Need food? Go to a restaurant, order in, or make it yourself.

In Latin America, your family members cook and you all eat together.

Need clean clothes? Pay someone to do your laundry or do it yourself.

In Latin America, again family does it for you or you do it for them and there's a feeling of love and connection when someone does something like this for you.

All these little interactions that we in the U.S. do on our own or have done for us, we have no real human interaction. A pleasant chitchat with our server perhaps, but it's not building feelings of love and connection with other people who sacrifice for you and who you in turn sacrifice for.

In Latin America, people need their families to survive more. People live closer to their families, spend more time together, they help each other out more. This feeling of being close with your family is the true source of happiness in life, I think. Spending your time with your loved ones is the most important thing in life and Latin America has this right.

Why would you want to trade being poor in Latin America living with your family in your own culture for being poor and alone in the South Bronx? Why would you want to trade your grandma helping cook and clean the house for ordering takeout and having to do it yourself? Why would you want to trade your kith and kin for complete strangers from the 4 corners of the globe?

I have known many Latino people who think it was a mistake coming here. They live in poor neighborhoods in a culture they don't care for, surrounded by people who they don't relate to, doing some menial job, much more isolated in the world... Many of them are tricked into thinking that everything here will be great, everything here will be easy, and of course that isn't the case for many Latino immigrants.

Post: #23

I wouldn't be surprised if this list was true.

The people in all of these countries place a lot of value on family connectedness, mutual altruism and enjoying food, drink and music. Whereas we in the "developed" Western world place emphasis on careerism, individualism and materialism.

Post: #24

(03-28-2015 07:23 AM)Enigma Wrote:  

(03-28-2015 07:04 AM)Feisbook Control Wrote:  

(03-27-2015 02:42 PM)Gringuito Wrote:  #7 is Venezuela? I have too many friends that live there or have family there. I'm not hearing about Venezuela being one of the happiest place on Earth. They just hope to be able to buy the basics. I think this study is flawed.

Further to that, I call BS simply based upon homicide rates. I would be 82 times more likely to be murdered in Honduras than in my native country of Australia, or 31 times more likely than in my adopted country of Taiwan.

Then why did you expatriate to a country where the homicide rate is almost 3 times as high

It's still comparatively low in Taiwan. Why didn't I just move to Liechtenstein or Monaco instead where they don't have any murders? Because there are always trade-offs, and there are threshold levels. Having 90.4 murders per 100,000 people is not a trade-off I'd like to make. To put that in perspective, I live in a town of 9,000 people. If that town were in Honduras, there would have been two murders this year already. That would probably imply no more than two degrees of separation between me and the victims. Then, of course, there would be all of the assaults, armed robberies, etc. Those levels of crime are at the level whereby it is omnipresent in your life to the point where I seriously doubt that people could actually be living happy lives with that kind of threat of violence hanging over their heads.

On the other hand, Taiwan's homicide rate would translate into one murder every four years where I live, and the rates of other serious crimes would be significantly lower also. Those orders of magnitude put living in the two different countries in completely different categories.

This is the problem with psychological surveys: they're completely at the mercy of self-reporting. Another poster already mentioned that there might be a disconnect between what people really think and what they tell others.

Post: #25

(03-29-2015 12:19 AM)Feisbook Control Wrote:  It's still comparatively low in Taiwan. Why didn't I just move to Liechtenstein or Monaco instead where they don't have any murders? Because there are always trade-offs, and there are threshold levels. Having 90.4 murders per 100,000 people is not a trade-off I'd like to make. To put that in perspective, I live in a town of 9,000 people. If that town were in Honduras, there would have been two murders this year already. That would probably imply no more than two degrees of separation between me and the victims. Then, of course, there would be all of the assaults, armed robberies, etc. Those levels of crime are at the level whereby it is omnipresent in your life to the point where I seriously doubt that people could actually be living happy lives with that kind of threat of violence hanging over their heads.

On the other hand, Taiwan's homicide rate would translate into one murder every four years where I live, and the rates of other serious crimes would be significantly lower also. Those orders of magnitude put living in the two different countries in completely different categories.

This is the problem with psychological surveys: they're completely at the mercy of self-reporting. Another poster already mentioned that there might be a disconnect between what people really think and what they tell others.

No, this is the problem with quoting random statistics with no context.

I lived in a bad neighborhood in my home city back a few years ago when it was top 10 in the US in murder per capita. I never knew anyone who got killed. And just miles away is a city in the same county that's considered one of the friendliest in the country.

And I'm currently very happy and unthreatened living in a region where the US, UK, and AUS all currently have travel warnings in place.

Part of Chicago has been a war zone for years, yet it's still one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the country and most people there don't live "with the threat of violence hanging over their heads".

Did the historic murder numbers in New Orleans deter people from having fun at Mardi Gras?

It simply doesn't work like that. We're not talking about portions of Africa, the Middle East, etc. where innocent people are being dragged from their homes and killed.

With murder rate, it almost always revolves around other crime, particularly drugs, and is largely condensed to certain areas. Sure, you can still be the victim of violent crime, but to act like there are vigilante groups roaming the streets just killing a certain portion of the first 100,000 people they see without cause or provocation is completely ridiculous.

And I've still yet to see anyone give their thoughts on which countries are happier. "Happiest" doesn't denote that everyone in these nations is just happy as a clam 24/7, it just means they're happier than the other miserable countries.

I can say that the average Filipino is without a doubt happier than the average American, and it's not even close. Does that mean there are no poor and miserable people here? Of course not. Does that mean there are no happy people in America? No.

People also forget that most people throughout history have not had the same kind of luxuries currently found in the Western world and they seemed to get along just fine. A cabinet full of Oreo's and the latest smartphone are not a requirement for happiness.

Of course if you went from living in a nice apartment in the US to some slum in Latin America you'd be in for quite a shock, but that's not nearly the same as someone who grew up in that environment. Especially when you consider they have not been brainwashed with the same message of want, want, want, buy, buy, buy, work, work, work that keeps many in the West in a mindset of constant lack and discontent.