29 Aug Why world happiness is increasing!
THE economy is plummeting, the planet could burn to a crisp, and war has just broken out – again. Believe it or not though, people around the globe are happier today on average than they were 25 years ago. The secret seems to be a combination of rising economic prosperity, democracy and social liberalisation.
Every few years the World Values Survey (WVS), headed by Ron Inglehart, quizzes about 1400 people in each of 52 countries on how happy they are. Last month it pooled 25 years of data and found that since 1981, happiness has risen in 45 countries.
The results challenge earlier studies that happiness levels do not rise along with the economy – something that had led many to conclude that money can’t buy happiness. However, these studies often looked at countries that were rich already. The WVS team’s analysis shows that economic growth only boosts happiness noticeably in countries with per-capita GDP less than $12,000.
To read more about happiness and the World Values Survey – click here