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There have been quite a few surveys done in which people in various countries were asked how happy they were. In general, people in Catholic countries were reported being the happiest, with Protestants in the middle, and the least happy people were in the former Eastern Bloc countries.
However, in terms of the latter, there have been significant upheavals in the lifetimes of the eastern countries, and many people there have been unhappy all their lives (owing to political oppression and economic troubles), and many of the changes that have taken place made things no better for the lower economic classes, and in some cases worse, so political and economic factors are at least as important as religious faith in depressing the happiness of people in those countries.
It is a particularly difficult thing to survey, though, because most people judge their happpiness as relative to their expectations, and expectations are even more variable than contentedness for almost all peoples. There is no measurement that can be taken to gauge happiness, except to just ask people to rate themselves.
Its like asking people if they can sing well, and using that to judge which country has the best singers.
One also needs to be very careful about how the question is worded. As you can see from these surveys, Nigerians and Venezuelans are at the top in the rankings when asked if they were "very happy", but at the bottom when asked if they are "quite happy". The questions are asked in the local language, which might have different distinctions between words that translate as "quite" and "very". In a very reserved culture, where people are unwilling to express an extreme viewpoint, there could be low scores for both happy and unhappy, preferring to shrug and say "so-so".
Thanks for the link. I do not doubt that highly religious people -and we are all devoted to something- tend to be happiest within a social context. My experience is that that happy place occurs when they hang out mostly with people of their own kind. .
Are you saying that we're all *religious* in some way, or merely that we all find time for reflection, and devote ourselves to our own individual spiritual thoughts, whatever they may be?
I can see how the most contented people flock together in social strata and religious beliefs--obviously there is so much more chance for support, and less chance for friction.
It is interesting to consider, when looking at how people choose to place themselves, the various socio-economic comfort levels that different people have, and what their frame of reference is.
The Malays have a saying: "Enggang bersama enggang; pipit bersama pipit." Literally, the hornbill is with the hornbill, the house sparrow is with the housesparrow. I thought that it meant the same as "Birds of a feather flock together" until I learned that the rich aristocracy in this country have always been associated with the hornbill whereas the common folk are associated with the housesparrow. Thus, the meaning is much deeper than I had given it earlier.
Malaysia is hardly a model for social contentedness. The racial problem are quite bad. The political parties are primarily based on race.
Are you saying that we're all *religious* in some way, or merely that we all find time for reflection, and devote ourselves to our own individual spiritual thoughts, whatever they may be?
There is a confusion of religiosity and spirituality. Religion entails an organized aspect: congregations and such.
Religion is a basis for community in many cultures. The test is whether benefits of the same sort can be had with an insitution that also strongly promotes social gatherings and community.
Malaysia is hardly a model for social contentedness. The racial problem are quite bad. The political parties are primarily based on race.
The "racial problem is quite bad" for the simple reason that Malaysia is one of the few countries in Asia that has a distinctive minority population. As a general rule, the severity of social problems is proportional to the freedom the people have to express themselves. E.g., no problems at all in North Korea. Malaysia is, in fact, quite a decent model for a society with a large minority population.
The fact that a visible faction of agitators is loudly clamoring for change is neither a reflection nor a cause of the general population being discontented with their lives. The two are not interconnected in any way. How many Americans feel discontented with their personal lives, because of racial tensions in some American cities, or political demonstrations at certain events?
I found Malaysians to be quite contented. Their country is making steady economic progress, and most Malaysians live in single race communities, with the minority Chinese dominating the culture in a few localities, but virtually absent elsewhere. The country is divided much the way Canada is, with a line between the Malays and the CHinese. Yet the Canadians are quite contented, too, in spite of political squabbles .
Do not confuse the general population being content in their personal and spiritual lives, with political unrest.
Are you saying that we're all *religious* in some way, or merely that we all find time for reflection, and devote ourselves to our own individual spiritual thoughts, whatever they may be?
I can see how the most contented people flock together in social strata and religious beliefs--obviously there is so much more chance for support, and less chance for friction.
I use the sociological definition of religion in that it is a way in which people look at the world and their place in it. For example, a fundamentalist Christian sees the world as part of a grand design and their role as bringing everyone over to their viewpoint. An atheist, on the other hand, sees the world as resulting from random actions, and their place as accepting that things happen randomly, perhaps with a scientific explanation, perhaps without.
Thus, everyone is religious in that they have some overall guiding point of view that colors how they perceive the world and their place in it.
Not everyone is reflective. I doubt if 10% of my Muslim colleagues reflect on such issues as: Who am I? Why am I here? What should I do to better myself? They pretty much accept things the way they are, and expect to remain in their situation as is. Of course they will try to improve their economic lot, but as far as worldview, it will not change.
Malaysia is hardly a model for social contentedness. The racial problem are quite bad. The political parties are primarily based on race.
It is true that political parties here are based upon race, but as jtur88 says, most Malaysians are content with their lot in life. Most only want to improve themselves economically. I have met few who read books, much less books on self-improvement. Many religions teach about fate and accepting whatever condition fate hands to you.
Iceland is traditionally listed as the happiest country, but their recent economic meltdown maybe kills that.
The "International Database of Happiness" would place Denmark as the most content if Iceland is ruled. I once tried to figure "happy nations" using a mix of the IDoH's "happy life years" and suicide rates. Switzerland came out on top that way.
The Pew Research Center (In case people misread this again, "Pew" comes from a guy's name. It's not affiliated to any religion) indicates India has the highest life satisfaction, of nations they studied, with Canada second. Job satisfaction was highest in Canada and Spain.
The most recent "Happy Planet Index" placed Costa Rica highest in life satisfaction. Previously Vanuatu was the tops, but that was using their other measures which don't per-se relate to happiness.
Not everyone is reflective. I doubt if 10% of my Muslim colleagues reflect on such issues as: Who am I? Why am I here? What should I do to better myself? They pretty much accept things the way they are, and expect to remain in their situation as is. Of course they will try to improve their economic lot, but as far as worldview, it will not change.
Your Muslim example would apply perfectly well to the aforementioned fundamentalist Christians, also. Judging by yard sales, very few Christians read anything except that which strokes their Godly ardor.
By the way, where in Malaysia are you? I spent a week in Endau, and a few more days in Kuala Lipis, where the birdwatching is wonderful, and they both really grew on me. If I retire abroad, Fraser's Hill would be one of my top choices.
Anywhere there is alcohol in abundance, you will find contented drunks.
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