Costa Rica Ranks the Happiest Place on Earth for 2019

Search

Banned
Joined
Jan 15, 2018
Messages
905
Tokens
Is Costa Rica still the happiest place on earth?
Travel agencies and tour groups – within Costa Rica and without – have continued to dub Costa Rica the “Happiest Country on Earth”, which would seem a ridiculous notion, were it not for the fact that there is a Happiness Research Institute which tracks such things, and Forbes Magazine just published their official Happiness findings for 2019. The study which crowns Costa Rica in first place is the Happy Planet Index, the second year in a row Costa Rica has won first place. HPI examines sustainable happiness on a national level, evaluating 140 countries on three criteria: how happy its citizens are, how long they live, and how much of the planet’s resources they consume. Canada ranked #7, and US #18, for comparison.
But wait, there’s another study. The World Happiness Report for 2019 ranks 156 countries based on six factors: Gross domestic product (GDP), life expectancy, generosity, social support, freedom, and corruption. In this study, Costa Rica ranks #12, up from #13 last year. Canada ranks #9, and US #19. The World Happiness Report is the more detailed of the two studies. It was begun by the United Nations in 2012, as a report on “Wellbeing and Happiness: Defining a New Economic Paradigm”. In the 2019 UN report, Finland has won Happiest Country in the World, for two years in a row.

How can anyone possibly rank countries for happiness – it’s such a subjective topic. Then again, why do we measure a nation’s success by its productivity instead of the happiness and well-being of its people? It seems like an impossible topic to study, yet two research groups have done just that for 2019, and both report that happiness is down over the last ten years.
Americans especially report a marked increase in unhappiness in 2019. Jeffry Sachs, a Columbia University professor, suggests one possible reason for unhappiness in the US — Addiction. He says, “This year’s report provides sobering evidence of how addictions are causing considerable unhappiness and depression in the US. The compulsive pursuit of substance abuse and addictive behaviours is causing severe unhappiness.”
What causes Costa Ricans to report that they are so happy? Recent studies reveal the following happiness factors. 1. People in Costa Rica are less stressed and more laid back. 2. The weather is outstanding. 3. The country provides affordable, exceptional health care. 4. The economy is sustainable and stable. 5. Ticos maintain strong and supportive family ties. 6. Costa Ricans eat fewer processed foods and have generally good diets. 7. Poverty in Costa Rica does not diminish reported happiness.
Among the countries with the unhappiest citizens are: Yemen, Malawi, Syria, Botswana and Haiti.
Summarizes Professor Jeffrey Sachs, who helped produce the UN Happiness Report, “This report gives evidence that happiness is a result of creating strong social foundations. It’s time to build social trust and healthy lives, not guns or walls. Let’s hold our leaders to this fact.” Adds Professor Helliwell of the World Happiness Report, “The world is a rapidly changing place. How communities interact with each other whether in schools, workplaces, neighborhoods or on social media has profound effects on world happiness.”
 

Forum statistics

Threads
1,106,899
Messages
13,439,372
Members
99,340
Latest member
fulfillworks
The RX is the sports betting industry's leading information portal for bonuses, picks, and sportsbook reviews. Find the best deals offered by a sportsbook in your state and browse our free picks section.FacebookTwitterInstagramContact Usforum@therx.com