To a 5 year old, "happy" could mean getting a new Lego set or Pokemon toy on Christmas.
However to an adult in the working world, "happy" could be a raise in pay, getting a promotion, getting that Gucci bag you have been eyeing, or simply just having good relationships with the people around you.
In a research done by the New Economics Foundations to find out the happiness index of the countries around the world, it is shocking that despite having a stable economy and safe environment, Singapore ranks #131 out of the #178 countries researched as one of the least happy countries.
We are just a few countries better off than Australia, and worse off than France.
For your information, the happiness index was calculated through the following formula:
| HPI = | Life satisfaction x Life expectancy | x ß |
| | ||
Ecological Footprint + α |
It basically comprises of 3 indicators - standard of living, life expectancy, and the level of "greeness" a county is. (It is noted that the more developed a country is, the more educated the people are on being green.)
One of the factors contributing to (un)happiness in Singapore would probably be - MONEY. With GST increase, prices of basic necessities increase as well. Not only that, the rising costs of flour and petrol see a hike in complements as well.
So, in order to keep up with rising costs, more people are taking to working longer hours and even coping with double jobs to make ends meet. With work comes stress , which leads to stress related diseases in the society.
And with health problems, people are spending a greater portion of their income on medcical aid, which means lesser income for recreation purposes or saving.
While we can safely conclude that money is the root of most evil, it is not the bane of all unhappiness. On the whole, one's happiness is still subjected to your own perception and way of looking at things. :P
Just some tips on staying "happy" (i am normally happy, minus 84 days of PMS) :
- Focus on positive moments that have happened, instead of dwelling in your unhappy past. Crying over spoilt milk will not help, so might as well carry on with your life being happy.
- Take stress in your stride. Always remember that Diamond was produced under great pressure. (I am still trying to learn that ;))
- Learn to relax! There is no such thing as "no time for yourself". Always create some me-time for yourself to think and do things that you enjoy.
- Be true to yourself. You can lie to others but not to yourself.
- Widen your circle of friends, but keep the best ones by your side.
- *Psst. For the guys, not doing anything for your girlfriends this Valentines' Day is going to make them very UNHAPPY. ;p
You were born into the world with everyone around you smiling while you are crying. When you die, everyone around you will be crying, and hopefully, you will be smiling. (:
Want to know if you are happy? Calculate your happiness index here. (mine was 61.7, above world average of 46! )
