Some good news amid the extensive coverage of myriad human woes, cataclysms and wars: most people around the world are feeling happy! What lends this survey authenticity is its sample size: over 18,000 people in 24 nations. And it’s even more positive in this country: the survey ranks Indians alongside Indonesians, who too are used to living in cramped city spaces thanks to the population density, and Mexicans, stereotypically viewed as a carefree people enjoying siestas under their sombreros on hot afternoons, as the happiest on the planet.
With tragedies like the double whammy of an earthquake and a tsunami striking Japan last year, and a whole swath of West Asia and North Africa on the boil in the “Arab Spring”, cynics may be forgiven for believing that the world is closer to extinction than a state of bliss in this kaliyug. The “happiness” bulletin was therefore a very pleasant surprise, particularly so since people appeared to be the happiest in nations that were still developing. Is there truth then in the old adage — that “money can’t buy happiness”?
What the survey seems to hint, but doesn’t quite say, is that the first world concept of a suburban utopia and a safe commute in a life of nuclear families is a myth. Human relationships may be complex, but it’s in togetherness that man, a social animal, finds the most happiness. A culture where people live in a large family environment appears best. That’s a lesson we’re happy to learn.