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Subscribe to RSSTORONTO -- Despite economic hardship, wars and natural disasters, the world is a happier place today than it was four years ago and Indonesians and Mexicans seem to be the most contented people on the planet, according to one survey.
Regionally, Latin America had the highest number of happy people, followed by North America, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East and Africa. Only 15 percent of Europeans said they were very happy.
More than three-quarters of people worldwide who were questioned in an international poll said they were happy with their lives and nearly a quarter described themselves as very happy.
"It is not just about the economy and their well-being. It is about a whole series of other factors that make them who they are today," John Wright, senior vice president of Ipsos Global, told msnbc.com on Friday. Ipsos Global has surveyed the happiness of people in 24 countries since 2007.
But Wright added that expectations of why people are happy should be carefully weighed.
"What we discovered is sometimes the greatest happiness is a relationship, a hot cooked meal and roof over our heads for shelter," he said.
Brazil and Turkey rounded out the top five happiest nations, while Hungary, South Korea, Russia, Spain and Italy had the fewest number of happy people.
Perhaps proving that money can't buy happiness, residents of some of the world biggest economic powers, including the United States, Canada and Britain, fell in the middle of the happiness scale, he said.
"There is a pattern that suggests that there are many other factors beyond the economy that make people happy, so it does provide one element but it is not the whole story," Wright said. "Relationships remain the No. 1 reason around the world where people say they have invested happiness and maybe in those cultures family has a much greater degree of impact."
On a more personal note, married couples tended to be happier than singles but men seemed to be as content as women, Wright said. Education and age also had an impact with more people under 35 saying they are very happy than 25-49 year olds. Higher education also equated with higher happiness.
Reuters contributed to this report.
More from msnbc.com and NBC News:
Leave a Comment:
Oh yeah?
Yeah.
Really???
Makes me happy just to see we are happy. I would be mad if we weren't.
VERY happy.
MUCH happier than 4 years ago.
Only happy because I am now retired. Not happier than 4 years ago due to everything else on this planet. Can't wait until 2013 so I can really be happy.
I wish more Mexicans were unhappy so they would go back home. They are happy here illegally.
Of course everyone is happier, now that we not under Republican "rule", i.e., terrorist attacks, being lied into war, up and down terror "threat levels", and all the rest of the crap we suffered when Republicans were in the White House.
Obama / Biden 2012
Ha ha ha ha haaa!!!! What a worthless study- Mexicans, for example, being so 'contented' while cartels are shooting & killing them daily
Four years ago too many people had to get up and go to work in the morning. Now they can sleep in and get thier obama unemployment check.
Or Texasbob.....people are happy to be going back to work and not losing their jobs like 2007.
Please someone insert their comment about how the lower unemployment rates today are false. How Obama is manipulating the numbers.
@withoutadoubt - the average mexican citizen has had a 1 in 2,835 chance of being killed since the war on cartels began in 2006. And that's regardless whether they were involved in drug trafficking or law enforcement. A citizen not part of either would have had a drastically lower chance of being killed in drug war related violence. In the U.S. your chance of dying in a car accident over a four year period is 1 in 1,625.
CBO is not manipulating the numbers. Read about it. It is on the net.
Not Obama. However, the numbers are manipulated. In 2007, 65% of the workforce was counted. In January, 2012, 63%. 5 million people dropped from the count. Strangely, that's the same number of people who have lost their extended unemployment benefits. So, I guess they just wandered off to a remote island. Put them back into the count, and the unemployment number is 11%. Now, count those who have given up looking, and those whop are working part time while seeking a full time job, and the number is 23%.
Historically, a recession has lasted 10 months. This on is 50 months and still going. Too many factors to list. Many of them mistakes by our President, and the accompanying gaggle of idiots in Washington. Both sides of the aisle. I have an idea: make them all sit mixed up. Dems next to Repubs. Independants in the hallway. Even better idea. Do away with parties. Make them run on their name. Let the Federal Govt. collect donations, and divide it equallyamong the candidates. Outlaw PACs. Outlaw lobbyists. This would work on the state level also. Then see who keeps their word. if they don't it will be easier to send them home. With term limits, a lot will get done because each will want to be the one that saved America.
so the places that ended up with americas manufacturing jobs are most content.their standard of living is increasing while our is declining.dont you just love a government that thinks its a great idea to export its best paying jobs so that the rich can get richer and its middle class can go to hell.long live free trade americas down fall
The drugs are just much stronger than 4 years ago and Obama says he would make things better, didn't he ? The dumb azz president is walking in circles in the oval office looking for the corner and while Michelle is doing jumping jacks.
Things are no better now, don't kid yourselves! If you really think so, you are just like the 'fool on the hill' ......
OBAMA = One Big Ass Mistake America ! GOT CHANGE ?
Is this like one of them there global warmin studies?
Hey, I'm unemployed, eating out of garbage cans and have bombs flying over my head, but, WHAT ME WORRY!
The poll shown on my MSN homepage: 32% say YES, 46% say NO and 22% say NO CHANGE.
No one "Polled me"?
The Happiest since 2007----I don't even think the Mexicans are the happiest, or Indonesians. Who asked them?---The Mexicans are eternally worried they will be murdered by the drug Cartels, even if they do not cross the Border Ilegally--a lot of Mexicans have been driven out of "Dodge" back into Mexico.
Did they poll the Mexicans that have left? This is one crazy poll of silly content.
It is just written to get our ire up----No Money, No Fun---that's how it goes.
Sure the other countries are happy; they are feeding off US help, and taxpayer dollars.
"Where's the Beef"?---More content of substance, please.
withoutadoubt wrote:
I envy those who, without a second thought, believe everything that is told to them. It beats being burdened with questions or doubt over the actual reality of a given situation.
If your happiness depends on who is in Congress or the White House, there is something wrong with your priorities and your life.
I noticed that the survey did not probe too deeply WHY people were happy in different countries and they did not publish any of the detailed percentages. I would like to see the country-by-country breakdowns and reasons.
Under 35: fewer responsibilities.
Higher education: higher income and net worth (does not solve every life problem but it eliminates a great many).
Other countries: I noticed that the countries mentioned as happiest are those with the most vacation time. You cannot spend time getting any quality "relationships" when the only one you spend most of your time with is with your employer.
Of course the Mexicans are happy. All they have to do is cross into our borders and they get free food, free money, low income housing, free education, free health care, free computers, free internet, free cell phones. Hell, they are happier living here on welfare than WORKING in Mexico.
Welll Dr. Cat since you are sooo rooted in reality why don't you back up your supposed facts to the contrary then. You sit there on your high horse making such judgments you therefore should have a wider database of knowledge to back up your worldly claims to omniscience and power. Good for you!
If Mexicans are so damn happy, then why are they flooding out of their country???
@withoutadoubt
I don't have a high horse, but it is pretty wide. That diet hay doesn't appear to be working.
I can honestly say I have never been so unhappy in all my life. We barely make ends meet pay check
to pay check. Can't even go out to eat. Obama has to go!!!!!
Interesting. I'd love to see further study of the things that affect people's overall happiness.
Me too. Like the impact of social networking... strong family values... religious values...
Maybe it's not about where you are financially, but more about how you're trending. An unemployed person who got a job, or someone that got off welfare.
South America is not involved in any wars that I'm aware of and their economies are generally growing... but Indonesia? Not sure.
It IS interesting.
"Mexicans seem to be the most contented people on the planet"??? That seems at odds for how many cross the border to the USA and/or escaping violence on the border from drug cartel violence.
Italy one of the least happy? People there I've met seem pretty happy.
Could have something to do with people in Mexico not having to put up with the bigoted condenscension of rabid teapartiers; and not being lied about so they can be blamed for all the ills of society and everything wrong with other people's lives. Like they are if they immigrate to the US.
Then stay home in Mexico.
NoCommonsense It would be nice if they immigrated here legally but they have no idea what that means. They are just like the rest of the libs they think because they are here they deserve anything they want without consequence. They are blamed for some of societies ills because they started off on the wrong foot. They are here ILLEGALLY. Against the Law no matter what the government says. Just about every city has Mexican gangs and there are more illegals in jail at any time than any other race. DON"T blame your problems on anyone else but yourself. The teaparty people did not have anything to do with Bush and Obama letting in the Happy Mexicans. Close the borders and I will be happy.
Glad you guys live in a world where every Mexican is trying to come to America. Back in the real world...
Commonsense--- or it could have to do with them not being forced to use 30% of their wages for handouters
Commonsense once again displaying his complete lack thereof. Since when is crossing the border illegally or overstaying a visa considered immigration?
Mexican happiness is dependent on whether you are in the U.S. illegally, living on all of the free goodies, or starving in a tin hut in Mexico with bullets zinging through the walls on a regular basis.
The freaking Mexicans are happy ???? Sure they own the Liberals Democrats in this country and have Amnesty to live here if they want without any strings attached !! They are riding Obama like the rented mule he is !!!!
I smell B.S.
Maybe you're thinking about your own situation rather than others'. Perhaps if you look at the whole world instead of just your town or whatever, people really are becoming better off.
In third world countries maybe its getting better, everywhere else is still pretty crappy. Whenever there are protests in nearly every major country in the world, i don't think things are getting better.
They should have named this article, "people seem more tolerant to the still extreme level of B.S. as time goes on"
Yours must be a dementia worthy of study if you honestly think "people really are becoming better off".
I'm better off.
According to the survey, the number of Americans declaring themselves to be very happy has dropped one percentage point since 2007.
The rest of you guys continue to wallow in your negativity though...
...if that's what makes you HAPPY. : )
All in all -- the world is better off that in 2007.
Poll: World is a happier place than 2007???
Y'know? I've been around for a while and in my travels I've noticed piles of BS here and there, as the calendar ticked off day after day, but this pile is among the largest of them.
TO: Fred-423683 who wrote:
Probably "red state" syndrome.
Obama / Biden 2012
American Girl
Your comments make me very happy.
Obama Biden 2012
A higher amount said no.
I'm calling Baloney!
What a dumb article. Especially ...."Education and age also had an impact with more people under 35 saying they are very happy than 25-49 year olds"......wow this makes a lot of sense.
Clearly no shame at MSNBC in continuing the lies of relection interests. So much for facts and news.
Whatever U.S. news site you go to, whether it be here, or (dumb)FUX news, you will go crazy trying to get any real truth out of it. Just take a step back, breathe, and laugh at the bull@!$%# that you know exists.
This is about the world, not America. The article says Americans are around the middle, although it doesn't say if that increased or decreased since '07.
The poll shows that the number of Americans reporting themselves to be "very happy" has dropped from 29% to 28% since 2007.
Some people just can't see past themselves, and figure that if THEY are unhappy, the rest of the world must be miserable, too.
HAPPILY, it doesn't work that way.
TO: commonsense.... who wrote:
You should'a been here. People ARE much happier today, less stress. At least now we know that someone in Washington has our backs.
Obama / Biden 2012
like stabbed in the back.
You're right!!!! I can't wait till I can get my free condoms and the wife can get her free birth control. As long as I don't have to pay for that crap. It frees up my money to buy more guns and ammo. HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY
YEA!!!!!!! Obama / Biden 2012 LMAO!!!!!
fact unemployment lower . they all ran out from 07
Your backbone's connected to Obama's knifebone.
I'd be happy too if I could sneak over other countries borders and get free healthcare, college tuition, driver's license, social security, medicare, medicaid, etc., etc., etc.
Except that nobody is doing that, so please spread your lies and hatred elsewhere.
Better yet, try doing some basic research before spreading lies about mssive groups of other people.
Best of all, try making your own life BETTER instead of blaming hard-working immigrants – who have never done YOU any harm – for your own miserable disappointments in life.
I am a Independent, BUT the truth is the costs of the Illegals in this country using all of our programs is STAGGERING! Info from 2006 that in California alone it was over 2 billion dollars. We need E-verify in all businesses. That along with LARGE fines for businesses that hire illegals will take care of this enormous problem. Then some of that money can go to training for our citizens displaced in the work force and get them back to work instead of bringing in foreigners on work visa's.
TO: AlBundymwc who wrote:
If were up to Republicans, NO human being could get ANY of those things in the United States of America, unless you were in the top 1% wealthiest.
Obama / Biden 2012
Insipid and banal comes to mind with most Republicans, droning on and on about nothing but themselves. Maybe THAT's the 1% drop in happiness in America. Oooooooo 1% drop/1% wealthy. hmmmmm
I don't see what you all are whining about. If you are white in America, you are miles ahead of anyone of color, just look around and see who lives in all the mansions and own every thing else. Can you say born with a silver spoon in your mouth.
commonsense -- Please please please tell me that you aren't that naive and/or uninformed?! Please? After working 50+ hours a week, disabled no less, and supporting who knows how many jackasses scamming the system, I really don't want to crawl into the corner and bang my head back and forth. Knowledge is so disgustingly painful that I just don't know how much more of this crap I can tolerate!!!
LET'S BE HONEST , '' THE WORLD IS A HAPPIER PLACE SINCE THE ELECTION OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA , '' PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN '' OOOOBAMMMMMAAAA '' !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hope and change is coming to a place near you , '' just keep the faith '' !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
republicans or just plain greedy: had to comment because the world is not a happier place because of Obama. It's definitely less safe, look around and notice all the social unrest, more people are dying at the hands of tyrants than ever before. Hope and change: truly a delusional comment. You know deep down you put the wrong guy in office and he has not delivered. And by the way the facts are is that Republicans are traditionally more charitable than Democrats, so greedy isn't accurate. Check the 1% of wealthy people in this country and I do believe you will find most of it is held by Liberal Democrats
AlBundymwc
See your doctor. They may have a cure for knee jerkness.
Some people would rather tear down others than work to improve their own lot in life.
Hitler blamed the Jews, albundymwc blames immigrants.
And I believe you blamed the teapartiers!
One you are a hypocrite.
Two I can't believe you hate partiers.
TO: Thetrust who wrote:
What's to like? Who do THEY like, if anyone other than their own kind?
AMERICAN GAL Lets see less government, control spending, stop lying, cheating, stealing, and trying to destroy this country. I don't care who you like. Your a dangerous liberal that only thinks of themselves.
You like the OWS crowd which really showed their colours. I would rather think for myself and not be a liberal puppet.
Bike Boy Bigot
I resemble that statment too, and wear it PROUDLY!!!!!
American Girl
If I meant "tea" partier, I would have written tea in.
We sure saw that in Ohio where the people won over big money.
hope and change that brought debt from 8 trillion to 15 trillion in few years than whole bush did from 2000-2008 3 trillion to 8 trillion in 8 years so again to that person who said hope and change came with huge price.
The main cause of the huge deficits incurred by this administration was directly from the Bush years , was done within a couple of months of inauguration and had to be done , plus was already in the works. Let big business run amock (by deregulation) and we the middle class always get bent over. History proves it happens in a huge majority when republicans screw everything up.
The top 2.7% has had it good enough long enough!!!
No Bush makes the world a better,safer and happier place.
ktrav, I dont' call being attacked by terrorists and being lied into war "safe" at all.
ktrav: You are so right! No Bush makes the world a better, safer and happier place. See, if you would learn where to put the commas and construct a sentence correctly, your sentence would take on the meaning you intended it. Of course I could be wrong of your intentions, but somehow I don't think so.
OBAMA/BIDEN 2012!
does msnbc realize they are admitting americans were happier under bush.
bones, NOBODY ever said anybody was "happy" at all under Bush. Worse president ever in the history of the United States, and most hated.
@American Girl - why are you using MM's avatar? Bush was hated by you not by decent law-abiding citizens with a brain - I was teaching in the Middle East while he was Prez and my students liked him as well as their parents - my family loved Bush and we flourished - the only haters were a couple of my Blue-Dog Democrat friends who would send me nasty emails about him. My students couldn't believe the nasty comments made against Bush. You have your head up your skirt .... MM doesn't deserve someone like you using her picture. Every country I went to Christian Muslim or Bhuddist loved Bush - He was repected not like Obama - they had no respect for Obama and many said that he didn't have the tools to be president - college kids were very worried all over the world as was I...
The poll I just took said 33% yes, 45% NO and 22% about the same. Since when is 33 larger than 45???
What a crock of compost!!!
Really people, just because you see doom, gloom, and economic turmoil every time you turn on the TV, log into the internet, and flip through a newspaper doesn't mean everybody in the world is unhappy.
It doesn't really surprise me that people in 2nd and 3rd world countries are happier than they were in 2007. People in 2nd and 3rd world countries learned long ago how to be content without the latest iPhone, the biggest SUV, and the flattest flat-screen TV.
It's kind of pathetic that some of you folks here are pissing all over them for it.
Mr Bubbs
People who have to piss on others, are truly the UNHAPPIEST of all.
24 countries is not the world. There are about 200 countries in the world.
The world happier ??? I don't think so.....why are people marching and protesting against their govt. Even the USA has their Occupiers. I can feel the mounting angry and hatred growing in Americans these days, we are fast turning into our foreign brothers. College grads can't find jobs they went to college for, middle-age corporate workers not able to find jobs after being laid off, adult kids not moving out of parents' home , young adults not able to buy houses of their own....what's there to be happy about??? We have a group of people that have lived on unemployment benefits and welfare and have no plans to get off the system. Happy, I say NO we are not.
2007...that was the year that all the unhappy people moved out into cyberspace
Funny, It appears MSNBC is really struggling to find any GOOD news over period Obama has been president. look at the front page of Investors Business Daily 02 09 12 Dependency on Government Soaring... Obama really is the Food Stamp President compared to prior recessions Dependency is up 23% compared to Reagan in 1981 recession Dependency was only up 6% that shows you the difference in policy following a big recession and unemployment in 1981 was actually worse at a 10.8% rate vs. 10% again all this is from the Inv Biz Daily front page.
Mexicans are the most content ??????, They should be, they are here illegally an they get anything they want from the government, Just try an send them back an see how content they get..........
Libtards don't understand this truth until their job is taken out from under them to appease the illegal community.
When you know God is your Father and you know He isnt some myth but ALIVE AND WELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL ,AND YOU DISCOVER HE is HOLY HOLY HOLY and Loves you and has nothing but GREATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT THINGS planned for you,because with him ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE, and you chose to flee evil in your life ,electing for the HOLY choices instead LIFE IS GREATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT !!! PEACE AND JOY,CONTENTMENT,NO FEAR ,NOR WORRY,NO STRESS, im FINALLY LIVING ,and give THANKS AND SING HIS PRAISES ALL DAY EVERYDAY. WHAT A AWESOME FATHER I HAVE AND HE MAKES HIS HOME IN ME,.John
14:23 Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My
Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. no better Life ;)
are you on drugs....if there was a god -dog spelt backwards...you think he would listen to your trash talk or even let this world even go on....pssstttt drink the kool aid
Wow Bill , You must be one of those hyper intelligent liberals. (God is dog spelled backwards) I want to be just like you guys when I grow up.
I don't know where to begin with this comment. I hope it is a joke or sarcasm. If it is legitimate, then good for you. I'm glad you found peace believing in that great voodoo hoodoo in the sky. My question is what are you going to do now that we are entering the age of Aquarious and the next "god" comes along? The days of Pisces are about over and the great jesus christ will no longer be relevant.
True-
I want some of what you're smoking!
The why don't you nut case right wing idiots ACTUALLY do or Follow Jesus teachings!