I just finished reading a book by former NPR reporter and witty novelist Eric Weiner. In The Geography of Bliss: One Grump’s Search for the Happiest Places in the World, Weiner is on a mission to uncover which places in the world are deemed happiest and then explore why the people in each of these countries are happy (if, in fact, they are).
As a preliminary brain exercise to reading the book, let’s discuss the idea that where you live has a lot to do with your happiness. Do you believe this is true? Have you lived in one region of the country or world and felt out of place, or have you wanted more or different things in the area in which you live(d)? I know I have felt that way at times. I want to be surrounded by a certain environment, and I bet you do too.
$15,000 Makes Us Happy
For some, climate is very important. A Southerner will swear they could never live north of the Mason-Dixon line because it’s too cold. On the other hand, a Midwesterner would never feel comfortable in the heat and humidity of Florida and its lack of seasonal change. Traffic congestion is proven to increase depression and unhappiness levels, and, while probably most of the populations of developing countries will swear that the more money you have, the happier you are is a valid statement, research shows that happiness levels plateau at about $15,000 per person per year. Once we have the basic material possessions in life – shelter, food, clothing – happiness is almost completely based on less superficial objects and more on community, family, trust, health, nature, religious affiliation, etc.
Wiener first visits the Happiness Research Institute in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and researchers have approached happiness, what causes it, and what happiness produces. His findings are interesting. The so-called happiest people in the world reside in Iceland, Switzerland, Bhutan, Qatar, and Thailand. If you’ve been to any of these places or studied even the basics about culture in each, you know that on the surface they are linked by very few similarities. Switzerland is one of the wealthiest and most secular countries in the world; Iceland is dark 24 hours a day for half the year; Bhutan has one national “highway”, which is in fact a two lane dirt road, and it’s people are extremely superstitious and Hindi; and Qatar has absolutely no cultural history, is one of the richest countries in the world, and its people are almost all immigrants.
Happiness is a State of Mind
These superficial differences lead to the idea that happiness is not how much money you have or your relationship with a God or gods, but rather happiness is a state of mind. The Thailanders say, “don’t think about being happy, just be”, and it’s probably true. Enjoy the journey along the way. If we are never satisfied that we are the great people – maybe not the best, the brightest, the most successful, but we are good people – that we want to be, then we will never achieve true happiness.
What aspects of your environment make you unhappy? For you, is it that you have few people in your life that you can trust? Is it the hour-long commute to and from work everyday? Is it the constant pressure to “succeed”, and if so, by what measure? By contrast, are you happy with your environment because you are close to nature, you have trustworthy friends and family, your job is low-stress and enjoyable? Do not discount these parts of your life as trivial. The seemlingly “little things” add up and are what make us happy. And remember – this is very important, so HEY! Pay attention – you can control the environment in which you live. So instead of constantly bitching about the problem, offer a solution.
When I was younger and I’d go visit my grandparents, I would burp at the dinner table, and my grandma would say, “SAMANTHA ALLEN!”, like it was so rude! Well, I would just respond that my dad does it all the time, so I can too. Now I hear people burping out loud at restaurants, and people talking about burping and every other unpleasant bodily function. With each new generation, our society gets much less formal; we lose traditions and replace them with practicality.
