What happiness means for different people around the world
Happiness. It’s a term that is as difficult to define as it is to hold onto. This might explain why sociologists spend a significant amount of time researching the concept of happiness and its application around the world. Surveys such “The World Values” survey and the United Nations' “World Happiness Report” endeavor to measure and rank counties in terms of their wellbeing and yes happiness.
The problem, however, lies in the huge variance in how different cultures and countries understand happiness. In parts of China for example preparing for and picking out an outfit for your funeral is seen as a cause for reassurance and celebration. Eighty-six-year-old Mrs Xie who lives in Dongshan, a city on China's South Eastern coast, has an active life, yet she has already bought the pants, shirt, shoes, earrings and purse she will wear after she dies, as well as an embroidered yellow pillow for her head. She had a portrait taken that will be displayed at her funeral. None of this is seen as upsetting or macabre. The idea that getting ready for one's funeral can be "a happy thing" shows just how much ideas of happiness can differ from country to country.
Happiness surveys and reports try to find common measures or metrics that work equally well internationally. As the above example illustrates, this can be extremely difficult. Environmental factors, social progress, personal growth and self-acceptance are often factored into the surveys but the jury is out on whether these metrics actually indicate happiness levels.
The biggest problem it seems is how the concept of “happiness” varies in different cultures and languages. In English, the word "happy" can refer to a variety of different thing from the mood you experience when you’re presented with a gift to how you feel when spending time with loved ones. In Denmark, a country that often tops the ‘happiest country’ ranks, happiness is often translated as lykke — a term that can describe a kind of everyday well-being that might be brought on by a nice cup of coffee or great weather. In Chinese, there are several different terms for happiness, each of which have a slightly different meaning.
It is the Chinese definitions that a new survey is focusing on at the moment and which takes into account the three dimensions of happiness — a good mood, a good life and a sense of whether one’s life has meaning, otherwise referred to as ‘xingfu’. The research hopes to uncover the varied aspects and components that contribute to happiness as a whole and how different cultural understandings impact this.
Related links:
5 extraordinarily simple ways to be happy
Why it’s healthy to learn to let go as we get older
Happiness can help you live longer