Is it really more fun in the Philippines? Maybe its residents can convince you. Filipinos are one of the happiest citizens in the world according to a global survey.
The Philippines follows close behind ten Latin American countries – most of them sharing ranks based on the results of a Gallup poll Positive Experience Index released a day before the United Nations International Day of Happiness on March 20.
Gallup asked 1,000 individuals aged 15 or older in 143 countries in 2014 if they had positive experiences on the day before the survey. Results are based on telephone and face-to-face interviews. Gallup compiled the “yes” responses from five questions: “Did you feel well-rested yesterday?”, “Did you smile or laugh a lot yesterday?”, “Did you learn or do something interesting yesterday?”, “Were you treated with respect all day yesterday?” and “Did you experience the following feelings during a lot of the day yesterday? How about enjoyment?” into a Positive Experience Index score for each country.
Paraguay topped the survey with a score of 89.
In second, third and fourth places are Colombia, Ecuador and Guatemala which all received a score of 84.
Honduras, Panama and Venezuela shared the fifth, sixth and seventh place on the list with a score of 82.
Costa Rica, El Salvador and Nicaragua got 81, placing eighth, ninth, and tenth.
The Philippines received a score of 80, sharing the spot with Singapore, Switzerland and Uruguay.
Money isn’t everything. Latin American countries aren’t the wealthiest countries but they certainly have some of the happiest people in the world. Pinoys have certainly had their fair share of environmental disasters and general misfortune but at the end of the day, most Pinoys can still look at the bright side and crack a joke-or two.
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