My wife says
I will never be happy. Knowing me as well as she does, I am inclined to believe
that she is right. As a social critic, I have a pulse on the negative aspects
of life. I see the world in all its transgressions and narcissist behavior. There is plenty of good in the world, but my
emotion is tied to the atrocities—and the lack of understanding as to why they
exist. For me, life is a social struggle.
So it got me
wondering, what makes people, or moreover, members of a society happy? How happy are Americans compared to those in
other countries? What is it about our culture, or theirs, that makes people
happy?
Fortunately,
the issue has been researched and the happiest countries have been ranked.
While there are certainly some arguable definitions to happiness—for happiness
can be relative and individualized—there have been some somewhat consistent
results. For example, my relative unhappiness in American society pales to the
happiness I feel when I compare it to living in a third world country.
To consider
some social surveys and research on the subject of happiness, I referred to
“Thrive” by Dan Buettner.
Of the many
definitions of happiness in the book, I leaned toward the opinion of Jim
Harter, who said, “It’s really what you do with your life, how you spend your
time, whether it is enjoyable and meaningful.” Other worthy definitions often involved
the pursuit of goals and dreams—a society which perhaps offers hope.
Denmark has
been consistently ranked as one of the happiest places to live. This small
country of about 5.5 million people is one of the wealthier nations. However,
the difference from America is that the wealth is not tied up in the hands of a
few. Buettner notes, “Danes spend more money on their children and seniors than
any other people. Lifelong healthcare is a Danish birthright. Education is free
and university students are paid to go to school. Doctor visits, x-rays and
surgeries are all covered by the state.”
It’s citizens feel safe and their culture stable.
How does
Denmark do this? Taxes of course and those making more than $70,000 will pay around
60 percent of it in taxes. A Danish researcher described it this way (regarding
high taxes), “We see from the surveys that most people here are satisfied with
the trade-off. They approve of the results: A society with an extremely low
disparity between the rich and poor. “
Danes also
enjoy other benefits, many arising from their culture and attitudes. They trust
their government, enjoy generous vacation benefits and feel like they have a
voice. They trade the pursuit of material wealth for “education, health care
and an economic safety net.”
Another
country Buettner considered was Singapore.
Although
differing in culture, there were some common themes in Singapore—which the
World Values Survey found that 95 percent of the people claim they were very
happy or quite happy. While Singapore has some tough laws, such as fines for
spitting and not flushing the toilet, there was the common theme of caring for
each other.
Remarkably,
researchers reported, “What we set out
to do is create a society which was efficient, orderly, well educated,
cultivated courteous . . . So we go out of our way to make sure we don’t have
an upper class. You won’t see beggars in Singapore. You won’t see ghettos is
Singapore. It’s by conscious effort. We know there is a lower five to ten
percent of the population who cannot keep pace with modern life. So we have to
carry them and make sure they have a home.” They also find them jobs, to create
a sense of “purpose and productivity.”
When
Buettner questioned issues such as a one political party monopoly and a lack of
freedom of the press in Singapore, one interviewee quickly responded, “The idea
that American democracy is the only path to freedom is arrogant.” It was
perhaps best stated when looking at the differences in individual perspectives.
“For Westerners, happiness is about personal achievement, freedom and
independence, rather than fitting in and marching in step. For Asians,
happiness is defined by society rather than individual expectations,” Buettner
wrote.
Buettner
also looked at Mexico and San Luis Obispo, and came up with a long list of
societal and individual aspects of happiness. On the list are things like high
employment rate, supporting the arts, limiting the workweek (Denmark has a
maximum of 37 hours per week), safety, status equality and generous vacations.
Individual factors for happiness include paying off your house, avoiding credit
cards, owning a pet, watching less television, exercising and finding a hobby.
In the Ruut
Veenhoven’s World Database of Happiness, the United States ranked 20. While we
enjoy a first world lifestyle, we pay the price. We work too much, value
material wealth too highly, fight over healthcare, carry too much debt and have
gross inequalities in wealth. We are in a continuous state of war and foreign
disputes and regardless of who is in the White House, at least half the
population is unhappy with or doesn’t trust our government.
