According to a Dutch sample survey about how “people living in 90 specific countries enjoy their lives,” the citizens of Denmark, Malta and Switzerland are the happiest in the world (scoring 8/10). Iceland and Ireland came in second with 7.8. Ghana ranked in the third group, with a score of 7.7, just ahead of Canada, Guatemala, Luxemburg, Holland and Sweden (which all scored 7.6).
The model of the northern European country fulfills all the five main criteria of a society that enjoy good standards of living, in relation to levels of income, democracy and good governance, the low levels of corruption and the high margins of freedom.
Armenia, Ukraine, Moldova, Zimbabwe and Tanzania came at the bottom of the 90 country
list, with Tanzania scoring a mere 3.2.
From The Daily Graphic, April 6th
Someone once asked me what fuels my happiness. My answer then was looking at and being thankful for what I have, rather than focusing on what I don’t have. So far, my happy-meter here has not outranked my time in Egypt or Malaysia overall. However, comparing my first two months in all three countries, this has been a bit easier (because I’ve done it twice before; though actual facts on the ground make Ghana more difficult, I’m in a better position to deal with them: bucket baths, the heat, general feeling of anxiety and homesickness), which I suppose translates into greater happiness. (I might not have said that last week, but the past two days have been partially sunny skies, with sun, sun, sun predicted in no time at all.)
What about the happiness levels of the people in the US, Egypt, Malaysia and Ghana comparatively? The article in today’s paper didn’t indicate if the others were part of the sample set and if so, what their scores were. I’d also be interested in how and who exactly they interviewed. You stick to the middle-to-upper class, that’s sure to affect the outcomes.
I don’t think it’s immediately apparent that Ghanaians are happy. Ghanaians in general are quite argumentative and aggressive.* (This made me think about Egyptians, who are also not exactly stoic, but I’m inclined to describe them more as passionate and emotional.) Perhaps, as Rana previously pointed out, that immediate release of feeling is something lacking in more developed countries; letting those feelings out may mean more satisfaction, less irritation and grudges, avoidance of a powder keg.
Ghanaian bosses treat their employees like dirt (“Get me water!” demands with no please or thank you’s) but without my outsider’s eyes, maybe that isn’t considered so rude or exceptional. Dance parties in the traffic jams? Dance parties at funerals? Are these causes or products of happiness? What attitudes and actions fuse to make Ghanaians happier? Does the church play a role? (Do people pray more often to get more or to say thanks for what they have?)
It is telling that the top ten countries were almost exclusively Western (baring Guatemala…reason enough to visit it?!). Doesn’t Ghana hold more in common with those at the bottom of the list than those at the top? So what is it that makes up the difference? Something about their mentality, their spirit, their disposition?
[Maybe it’s the Rastas that skew the data: “don’t worry about a thing cuz every little thing is gonna be alright” is on my headphones at the moment. And who doesn’t love a bonfire by the beach?]
I asked PE, a Ghanaian co-worker, why it was that Ghana was way up there: there’s peace here, people are well-off compared to countries like the Ivory Coast where there is war and people can’t find enough to eat, people are more relaxed and laid back (can call the boss to say you’re going to be two hours late because of the traffic and she’ll understand but you couldn’t do that in the US because time is money), peace of mind. Even the poor man may be happy because he doesn’t have to worry like a rich man about all the things he must do, how to get/keep money, always striving for more. She acknowledged that there are stresses here, citing the weather is enough to cause strain (and definitely make you grumpy!).
Friend #2, BB: Ghanaians like to have their fun; look at how they celebrate their holidays, weekends, going out. They’re serious about their ‘chilling.’ If I wanted to go to Osu right now, I could. So our economics are lower, but we have fun. Productivity levels low; fun levels high.
*an aside: BB says that it’s not that people are aggressive or confrontational, it’s the manner in which the languages are spoken, particularly Ga and Twi (versus Fanti). She said “What are you saying?” in Twi and then Fanti; the first had hard consonant sounds and did appear to be meaner, irrespective of demeanor and facial expression. Those languages, she claims, take more energy and need more force to be spoken. She likened it to an American and a British person speaking English and how that would sound to an outsider. The Americans tend to talk much more quickly and that might indicate to someone that the American doesn’t really want to be talking to them or may be in a rush, when in reality it’s just their manner of speaking. The English speaks more slowly, intentionally; Ghanaians who have been influenced by the British may then speak more slowly and others may perceive that falsely as lack of intelligence.
Friend #3, JHS: Peace and stability. Satisfied with having needs met, some people want more, but not unhappy without.
*an aside continued: JHS says that people do argue, but not angrily or meanly. They’re just opinionated and also see it as fun.
The Egyptians say ‘ilhumdolilah’ (thanks be to God) in regards to a misfortune just as often as a success. It could be worse, I image is the logic, but thank God it’s not. An antecedent to my “happy-fuel” answer. Are the Egyptians happy though? Certainly they like to have fun (and as mentioned in a previous post, can most definitely create their own) and are often making jokes and trying to ruffle someone’s feathers. They drum, sing and dance like the Ghanaians. Laughter on their lips, just looking for any excuse to tumble out.
Malaysians probably have more in terms of money and possessions and fewer stresses/hassles. Are they happier though? My Sufi friends are plenty happy, but they’re not a representative sub-population. Malays are generally contented, satisfied (the ilhumdolilah Muslim attitude coming into play?). Not necessarily the same as happy though, is it? The Chinese in Malaysia are probably more likely to be striving for something else (education, money, climb the ladder), so may be less happy. I had limited interactions with Indians, so I won’t generalize as much, but I think perhaps they feel more on the margin of society, so that may affect happiness. Because I have to think of the Malaysians on a more macro-level, the influence of culture and religion I’m trying to assess come into play within one country.
This got me to thinking about my Buddhist-nun-to-be-friend. Is seeking enlightenment a vastly different thing than seeking happiness? The talk/life seems to be a lot about suffering…doesn’t the focus prevent happiness, besides for the sadist? Are happiness and enlightenment mutually exclusive? Is happiness a matter of concern at all to a Buddhist nun/monk?
