The definition of happiness varies for everyone, whether it be derived from love, freedom or money.
However, a new survey by the University of Michigan has discovered that the entire world has in fact become happier. According to Ronald Inglehart, political scientist of Michigan University, the surprising find has been caused by increasing tolerance for minority groups and women, economic growth in countries previously suffering from poverty and democratization of other nations.
The research by the University of Michigan stated that Denmark titled as the happiest country with Zimbabwe ranking as the gloomiest and Australia has placing as the 22nd happiest nation. “Most previous research suggests that people and nations are stuck on a “hedonic treadmill” Inglehart said.
The study, which began approximately 17 years ago, included 52 countries and involved 350 000 people. Over the years, participants were asked the same two questions: “Taking all things together, would you say you are very happy, rather happy, not very happy, not at all happy?” and, “All things considered, how satisfied are you with your life as a whole these days?”
Inglehart said the belief was held by scientists that when looking at entire societies, happiness had proved stable over time. “The belief has been that no matter what happens or what we do, basic happiness levels are stable and don’t really change,” he said. So it was no doubt that Inglehart’s team was surprised when the happiness levels of nations “rose substantially”. They suggest that the reason for the increasingly optimistic outlook of the globe has been caused by societal shifts in recent decades.
Inglehart also said the happiness of a country is closely linked with how democratic the political system is. “The results clearly show that the happiest societies are those that allow people the freedom to choose how to live their lives,” he said, citing the tolerant normalities and government systems in Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Canada - all of which rank among the 10 happiest countries in the world.
The belief that it is almost impossible to raise an entire country’s happiness level has been disproven by this research. Rising tolerance for minority groups, including gays and lesbians in societies around the world has been observed, with gender equality also positively increasing. Significant rates of economic growth have been experienced in nations such as India and China, with an increasing number countries also becoming democratized.All of this is believed to contribute to the world becoming a happier place overall.
