Thailand dives in World Happiness Report - now only 61st. Has the Land of Smiles become the Land of Scowls?

[deadbeat]

Finland no 1 ?

You are pullin my plonker.

Temperature in Helsinki right now is - 1.

 

 

[Old Croc]

I presume The World Gallop Poll only surveys citizens of a country to get data for the happiness rankings. I would think temporary visitors wouldn't be part of deciding these outcomes.

 

Interesting then that so many on this forum consider Thailand should be ranked much lower than their already low position, and despite having opportunity to live elsewhere, choose to remain in a state of misery.

[cnx101]

15 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

I have lived here 10 years.  Not just a Thailand issue, but most people here seem fake toward Falang.  Fake friendly to probably just to get people's money.  I actually think the Phils is less fake. More desperate but not seemingly fake about it.  It all seems mostly economics and jealousy of westerners I think.

Sad really, no one has a choice where they are born.  On the big picture of life,  those of us born in western countries are very very lucky.

Very true

[Whale]

Its development, they were happiest when they had next to nothing, now everyone is stuck on the gravy train, scraping by, trying to keep up with the jones's, wondering why they don't make enough money to quite live the dream . Capitalism's gift to the poor. Of course the rich and elites are having a very happy time.

[shackleton]

All depends who you ask in the happiness survey have a job =happy ???? ????

Not have a job = not Happy ????

[Andycoops]

With the current miserable mob of Muppets in charge for the last 8 years, it comes as no surprise.

And this is after their laughable pronouncements about bringing happiness to the people, another failure to add to along list.

[pmarlin]

LOS should  be the Land Of Scams. According to a police officer who lives a couple of houses down form me the local police station has been really busy lately with people being victims of on-line and phone scams. Just a few hundred in his district. Most from gangs in China and Cambodia. Some have lost everything.

[BostonRob2]

2 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

TRex has been moving the country backwards for nearly 8 years now.

 

1. Has he ever come up with one policy that has benefitted the people?

2. What about his promise to fight corruption? 

3. What about the promise of transparency? Nothing but lies and oppression instead. 

4. What about the air quality, and the land and sea? 

5. What about traffic safety?

6. Police reform?

7. Army, immigration and customs corruption?

8. Poor covid performance? 9. The failed vaccination program? 

 

One could go on for days. They have brought nothing but regression, inflation, fear tactics, highly selective economic shutdowns, a shocking lack of progress with regard to anything, and a stifling set of restrictions, even though Covid has become endemic now. Thailand has become a nation of facial diaper wearers. 

 

And it has resulted in high unemployment, skyrocketing suicides and homelessness, and alot of unhappiness. Prayuth and his toxic army brings only  misery to the people. 

 

 

Yes, yes spidermike but are you happy ?

 

Rooster

 

[baboon]

1 hour ago, Whale said:

Its development, they were happiest when they had next to nothing, now everyone is stuck on the gravy train, scraping by, trying to keep up with the jones's, wondering why they don't make enough money to quite live the dream . Capitalism's gift to the poor. Of course the rich and elites are having a very happy time.

Ironic, isn't it? People working harder and harder to buy labour saving devices they wouldn't need if they weren't working so hard.

[baboon]

21 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

Honeymoon period? Really? Where the heck was I, all I have seen and observed is folks upset with this regime from day 1, the only happy ones that had a honeymoon period would have been the Amart Elite.

Don't you remember Thaivisa (as it was then) for the first couple of years after the military barged in and seized power? It was a fascist's grotto bar a few of us...

[Willy Wombat]

All that matters is that the pigs in charge are happy.

 

They're millions and billions happier that the average Thai.

[Daithi85]

24 minutes ago, BostonRob2 said:

Yes, yes spidermike but are you happy ?

 

Rooster

 

I highly doubt it, the chap never stops complaining. 

[dallen52]

Even Ronald is not happy..

 

[Kalasin Jo]

22 hours ago, Screaming said:

The word happiness is very subjective and I would think impossible to measure. The level of corruption in Thailand is so great that I do not understand how anyone here is happy. This corruption is ingrained in Thai society from the very top to the lowest levels. Of course one must adapt the adage of "Mai Pen Rai" in order to survive this corruption but underneath one's mental health is rotting away.

Yup. My Thai family think it's totally normal to pay "extra" to get administrative things done. Indeed things sometimes stall deliberately with some petty reason. My MiL said to me: now we wait a respectful 1 hour then go ask again with some cash discreetly in view to the official with the file. But you as s foreigner must not be seen or the " extra" will increase. I was fascinated ,only being the chauffeur on the day it was nothing to with me.. Do it's definitely the way.

 

In my early days here even I thought how great to get an "expedited" non immigrant O retirement visa plus 1 year extension and multiple re entry permit n one morning in Bangkok on the day after my arrival,with required amount of baht put in the bank only on my day of arrival. I used an agent of course and it cost a fair bit. But then I had 15 months before I had to do anything more. 

[Burma Bill]

23 hours ago, webfact said:

It has been confirmed that Thailand is getting less and less happy. 

Well I never!!

 

 

https://thediplomat.com/2021/07/thai-police-forcefully-disperse-protesters-demanding-pms-resignation/

[Lapun]

23 hours ago, Screaming said:

The word happiness is very subjective and I would think impossible to measure.

If you look at Appendix 2 of the Report "Statistical Appendix for Happiness, benevolence, and trust during COVID-19 and beyond, Chapter 2 of World Happiness Report 2022" it is 56 pages long and looks at many measures. Whether or not these measures are actually relevant is debatable, but they seem to have made a reasonable attempt. And no, I haven't read the report & don't intend to.

But then as you say, it is very subjective. I sometimes measure my happiness on how well my football team is going. 

[limbojunkie]

Such benchmarks measure based on factors that can improve a person's satisfaction but does not necessarily lead to happiness. Finland is a very dull land with nothing to do and young people are leaving it to more exotic countries like Spain, Thailand and Philippines. While you see Singaporeans have a lavish lifestyle, they live miserably working more hours than Japanese (based on a recent study) and money is all what matters there, and unlike Finland which has its beautiful landscape, it's scorching hot all year long and you'll get tired of it after three days.

Edited March 22, 2022 by limbojunkie

[Millcx]

20 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

Nah, this is not right. Nothing much happened the last 10 years. It´s just that the happy meter has never been updated until now.

Once TAT gets a hold of it Thailand will be in top 3 in no time … Allegedly there are millions of Tibetans just waiting to arrive on Yaks “;0)

[theonetrueaussie]

Not a very good happiness index seeing as people in Thailand are FAR FAR happier then the top 10 countries on this list from my personal experiences....

[spidermike007]

3 hours ago, BostonRob2 said:

Yes, yes spidermike but are you happy ?

 

Rooster

 

I don't use the word happy. It is far too vague. Fulfilled, yes. Which is happy by most definitions. However, the aspects of the equation that have decimated many Thais, do not effect those of us with incomes or pensions from overseas. Financial stress is an awful thing to have to live with. Especially when army inflicted. 

[NeoDinosaw]

12 hours ago, daveAustin said:

Thailand 36, UK 17?

How T F did that happen? Lol

Boris the Great brought freedom and liberty to His people by getting Brexit done ????

[NoshowJones]

7 hours ago, Daithi85 said:

I highly doubt it, the chap never stops complaining. 

But he speaks the truth, I sure cannot disagree with anything he says.

[jacko45k]

11 hours ago, NeoDinosaw said:

Boris the Great brought freedom and liberty to His people by getting Brexit done ????

Hoorah for him, let him have a party..... but off topic I am afraid.