Happiness is something which is difficult to define.
Generally it is regarded as a feeling or showing pleasure or contentment.
Certain research has shown that long-term happiness stems from feeling and being in charge of as much of our life as possible. Therefore, it is not about smiling all the time, nor does it stem from money or health, but a self-belief you are on the road you want to be on.
Others will say happiness is when your life fulfills your needs. In other words, happiness comes when you feel satisfied and fulfilled.
The Simple English Wiktionary defines happiness as a feeling of pleasure and positivity. Thus, when someone feels good, proud, relieved or satisfied about something, that person is said to be “happy”.
For each and every person, happiness has a different meaning. Those who recently attended the 50th anniversary of Woodstock will probably have a difference of opinion on happiness than maybe the business tycoon.
This is probably why when surveys try to determine the happiness of a nation, it becomes rather tricky, since happiness is relative.
But still such surveys are done, and one of them is the World Happiness Report. Yes, such a thing exists and it is an annual publication of the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
Finland is ranked the happiest country in the world twice in row. Congratulations, Finland. It is apparently very beautiful, clean and safe, while the food is also wonderful (now we are all wondering if they accept South Africans).
Rounding out the rest of the top 10 are countries that have consistently ranked among the happiest: Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, New Zealand, Canada and Austria, in that order. The US ranked 19th, dropping one spot from last year.
When factoring in population growth, the report also showed world happiness had fallen in recent years.
And as we wait for the drum roll, how happy are we here in South Africa? We rank 105th, one below the Palestinian Territories. Enough said.
Our ranking is almost as bad as Bafana Bafana at 73rd place in the Fifa world rankings.
Regarding the happiness report, data is collected from people in over 150 countries. Each variable measured reveals a populated-weighted average score on a scale running from zero to 10 that is tracked over time and compared against other countries.
These variables currently include real GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, generosity, and perceptions of corruption.
Based on those variables, South Africa is probably lucky not to have come in close to 150.
Another study (and yes there are many), titled What Worries the World, involved 28 countries targeting key concerns.
According to this report, South Africans, like the rest of the world, are most worried about financial and political corruption.
The survey also found that the majority of people across the participating nations feel their country is on the wrong track (58 per cent on average), with South Africa (77 per cent), followed by France, Spain, Turkey and Belgium, recording the greatest levels of apprehension.
South Africans’ top five worries in March 2019 were financial/political corruption, crime and violence, unemployment and jobs, poverty and social inequality, and education.
And this was all before the elections. Imagine how bad it must be now.
And yes, in yet another study, about 71 per cent of South Africans surveyed by Pernod Ricard feel the country is less convivial – happy, pleasant, friendly or relaxed – than five years ago.
Pernod Ricard, distributor of certain premium brands, has partnered with OpinionWay to find out how “convivial” the world is.
The survey revealed that now more than ever, conviviality or friendliness is on the decline around the world.
When asked what conviviality meant to them, 90 per cent of South Africans surveyed felt it was about “moments of happiness”.
So yes, no matter how you look at it or define it, South Africa is not a very happy country at the moment. And it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why.
I guess all that is left to do is to Google Finland.
Follow us on these social media platforms:
