[Reader-list] Quantity of happiness

[Joy Chatterjee]

If anybody wants to know that happiness can also be quantified!!
Joy

taken from: http://www.bol-online.net/bnd/index.htm December 29, 1998
Bangladesh-the happiest nation
A global study has revealed that Bangladesh is the happiest nation in the 
world. The study titled 'World Happiness Survey' ranks India as the fifth 
happiest place in the world. The United States ranks only 46 in the survey, 
conducted by a team of professors of the London School of Economics. Among 
the countries ranked happier than the United States are Ghana, Latvia, 
Croatia and Estonia. The study on the link between personal spending power 
and the perceived quality of life has conclusively proved that beyond a 
certain level of income the relationship between personal spending power 
and happiness breaks down. The study shows that people in Bangladesh, one 
of the least developed countries, derive far more happiness from their 
small incomes than, for example, the British (ranked 32nd in the happiness 
survey) do from their relatively large bank balance. Although the British 
have twice as much money to spend in real terms compared with 40 years ago, 
their perceived quality of life has not improved. Earlier surveys revealed 
that many Britons thought money could bring more happiness. The new study 
shows that such a link still exists in poor countries because a small 
increase in income can mean large improvement in lifestyle. The findings of 
the study were reported recently in the Asian Age. People in most rich 
countries, including Austria, Netherlands, Switzerland, Canada and Japan, 
are unhappier than their poorer counterparts in countries such as Dominican 
Republic and Armenia, Says the study. The most unfortunate, however, are 
Russians and people in some other parts of the erstwhile Soviet Union. They 
are neither rich nor happy, according to the survey. According to the 
study, happiness in rich countries now is far more dependent on close 
personal relationships, good health and job satisfaction.
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