From ancient days people from all across the globe had travelled to India in search of spiritual knowledge, peace and happiness. From Chinese traveller Hiuen Tsang, who visited India in the first half of seventh Century AD to Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apples, who visited India during the seventies, this flow of travelers from all over the world to India has been a continuous process.
And it seems those visits had not gone futile as India still remains a good example for many to follow.
A recent international survey found that despite economic woes, wars, conflicts and natural disasters the world is a happier place today than it was four years ago and Indonesians, Indians and Mexicans seem to be the most contented people on the planet.
Brazil and Turkey rounded out the top five happiest nations of the world, while Hungary, South Korea, Russia, Spain and Italy had the fewest number of happy people.
More than three-quarters of people around the globe who were questioned in an international poll said they were happy with their lives and nearly a quarter described themselves as very happy.
Nationally, Indonesia is recorded to be the happiest of all countries surveyed, with 51 per cent citizens saying they are ‘very happy’. On the second position are India and Mexico with 43 per cent each. Brazil and Turkey follow next with 30 per cent each while Australia and United States each with 28 per cent.
“The world is a happier place today and we can actually measure it because we have been tracking it,” said the survey report which has surveyed the happiness of more than 18,687 people in 24 countries since 2007. Measuring the “very happy” group, the greatest improvements are found in Turkey (up 16 points since 2007) followed by Mexico (up 10 points), Australia (up 7 points), Japan (up 6 points) and India and Canada (each up 5 points).
Regionally, Latin America has the greatest proportion of people saying they are ‘very happy’, with one third (32%) of their population responding this way. North America is next with 27% followed by Asia-Pacific and the Middle East and Africa tied (24%).
The survey no doubt throws interesting insights to world order and the way we look at things in general.
It clearly indicated that it is not just about the economy and people’s well being but it is about a whole series of other factors that make people who they are today.
In spite of people from all over the world preferring to settle down in first world countries in search of better life and opportunities, it is now clear that is not necessarily making those people happy in spite of them attending a better life.
Proving again that money can buy everything but happiness, residents of some of the world’s biggest economic powers, including the United States, Canada and Britain, fell only in the middle of the happiness scale.
“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,” said the survey report.
Interestingly in spite of breaking down of joint families in many countries the world over, relationships remain the number one reason around the globe where people say they have invested most in happiness.
On a more personal note married couples tended to be happier than singles but men seemed to be as content as women. Education and age also had an impact with more people under 35 saying they are very happy, more than 25-49 year olds. Higher education also equated with higher happiness.
