A map of world happiness.
What really strikes me about the map, BTW, are the countries colored gray for lack of data: Iraq, North Korea, Western Sahara, Somalia, Afghanistan, and Greenland. Except for Greenland, which is basically just a big glacier, some of the most chaotic places in the world. I think we can assume that the people there aren't all that jolly.
In related news, the Danes are the world's happiest people, apparently. Their secret? Low expectations.
(Via Bookninja)
6 comments:
Neato. Where the hell do you find these things?? And what's up with this sudden surge of articles on "Happiness?" New York Mag, the Times, and CNN all did articles on the subject. Crazy.
I have an extensive and eclectic bookmarks folder that often takes me to the unusual and interesting.
As to why "happiness" is on everyone's mind, well, it's a very AMERICAN thing to begin with. The right to pursue it is in the Declaration! Modern, industrial societies give people the time, energy, and money to consider it and worry about it (peasants scraping a living off the land don't have much time to reflect on their state of happiness). The Baby Boomers made it a central part of the culture. Nowadays, though, there's the uneasy feeling that we're not really as happy as we "should" be; I think this unease is a major factor in the rise of fundamentalist Christianity, for instance.
Shucks, they're sad in the Western Sahara because Morocco refuses to allow a free and fair referendum on independence.
I don't even understand why Morocco is so hellbent on keeping Western Sahara. Mauretania decided it wasn't worth it years ago.
I'm calling bullshit on the color of the US!
I agree, Vince. I don't get the feeling that we're all that happy. But I think that we WANT to be happy and think we SHOULD be, so I'd bet that the survey respondents were a little overenthusiastic in their reports.
Post a Comment