Thailand's Smile Fades: Nation's Global Happiness Rank Falls

[ronster]

What's to smile about ?? 

The weather because it's sunny ? 

Absolutely nothing if you are one of the the general population or elderly. Working daily for peanuts , poor education standards , constant debt , loan sharks coming daily to your home , elderly trying to live on about 800 bht a month , poor air quality , your children having children then dumping them on you to look after , drugs flooding the country daily , guns everywhere , people drunk by 7am then driving around.

List goes on and on but hey keep smiling as suns out 😎🙈

[renaissanc]

While happiness is, of course, a choice, life in Thailand is hard for most of the population, so I would not expect a high position on the table. I don't think the politicians or the Military play a role in the score because these people live in their own world of greed, self-service, cronyism, and corruption, and the population live their lives without them except when the rulers decide to throw a few crumbs at the poor, such as the 10,000 Baht giveaway.

[Olav Seglem]

19 minutes ago, BangkokReady said:

 

The nations with the most homogenous populations are some of the happiest, yet we are told that "diversity is our strength"?

Norway quite high on the poll.

Our percentage "foreigners are 17.5 in contrast to us with 14.3% 🙂

 

[proton]

Smiles will return when the man most Thais voted for does not get banned from politics for 10 years, but actually gets to be the Prime Minister

[NorthernRyland]

16 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

Unfortunately the smiles are long gone in Thailand.. surely after 20 years management by military junta. And still no progress to enter the 21st century...and the poor daily wages and rising prices

 

What's all this hyperbole about the military junta I always hear around here. In material terms what did he actually do to affect peoples happiness?

 

What I see is Thais in the city are just the same as Americans or anyone else now. Stuck in morning rush our pissed off, working some job that stresses them out to pay for bills and debt then using their spare time to buy cheap crap from China they don't need.

 

This is just urbanism and debt fueled consumption, nothing to do with the government. It's their own fault honestly but the entire world has gone this way. The people outside the cities are still the same as they were 20 years ago.

 

[newbee2022]

28 minutes ago, steven100 said:

 

I fear running into a ladyboy on beach road. 

A really very essential comment. Thank you.😳

[cowellandrew]

15 hours ago, Harrisfan said:

Why do Fins look so miserable?

Because Thais go there to pick there berries !

[spidermike007]

All I had to see was the US and the UK at 23 and 24 to know that there was some fishy about this survey and that the results were fairly bogus. The quality of life in the US is so low these days I wouldn't be surprised if it was 120 rather than 23. Thailand is facing alot of problems no doubt, the economies is in really rough shape, but for those of us who live on foreign currencies many of us live very well here and enjoy a very high quality of life.

 

I still find the Thai people to be relatively lighthearted and I find most to be warm, gracious and fun-loving. I love living here, that hasn't changed. 

 

Having said that I can only imagine what it must be like to be living on 300 or 400 baht a day, which so many people are doing, and when you have a nation that pays 5,000 baht a month more to those with the University degree then to those with no specialized training at all, you know there are some serious inherent problems. 

[Andycoops]

It's hardly surprising because the miserable people trying to run the country are more concerned with displacing democracy with illegal coup d'etats, corrupt complaints overseen by corrupt institutions, unelected senators with zero accountability the same as the military.

 

All in all it's a complete shambles as the reality for the majority of citizens leaves them little to smile about, especially with the continual political bickering and shenanigans going on daily.

[gerrybpattaya]

4 hours ago, BayArea said:

Bangkok post-the economy is waiting to hit an iceberg

 

"All these conditions will converge in 2025: (1) fragile economy, (2) frozen financial sector and (3) over-sized debt obligation. The Thai economy is most likely to sink like the Titanic did."

 

You are so correct, back to 25 years ago when I first came to live here. History repeating itself except this time China will be buying up everything at rock bottom prices.

[newbee2022]

16 hours ago, Harrisfan said:

Why do Fins look so miserable?

Do they?

I suppose you don't have a mirror??🤣😂🤗

[Cabradelmar]

It's the land of smiles because they have a smile for every emotion and social situation... Happiness, fear, disbelief... They as easily smile when they like you as when they are stealing from you... It will be forever LoS

[rumeaug]

My 2 cents. I arrived in 2012. In general, Thai did  tend to smile a bit  more and be more "easy-going" than other popular tourist destinations. Now that has changed so much overall. That "land of smiles" thing is getting a bit old and  false. At least in the cities.  Probably different in the country side, but this i couldn't tell.

[terryofcrete]

17 hours ago, Harrisfan said:

Why do Fins look so miserable?

Exactly ! It's a miserable fishy story ! 

[captain_shane]

1 hour ago, BangkokReady said:

 

The nations with the most homogenous populations are some of the happiest, yet we are told that "diversity is our strength"?

 

[jimgilly]

Interesting how Israel ranks high at number 8 and the country of Palestine is not even listed.  If it was it would be last below Afghanistan. 

[fredwiggy]

Smiling can be used for many things, but most of them are for profit of some sort. That locals smile a lot has been noticed but as others have said, no one knows what's behind those smiles, It could be acceptance, hatred, envy, jealousy, or just being nice and smiling because a smile has others following suit. When someone wants something from you or has intentions to secretly hurt you, they aren't going to look at you with disgust or evil in their eyes. Ted Bundy smiled at every woman he met before he killed them is but one example.

[kuzmabruk]

42 minutes ago, rumeaug said:

Probably different in the country side

I built a house in Chaiyaphum for the wife’s grandmother.  During the hanging of the fluorescent tube fixtures, I had the electrician connect the fixtures and he left them hanging so they almost touched the floor.  I wanted him to test all the lights before mounting the fixtures to the ceiling.   In walked my wife’s uncle and he grabbed my wife and started complaining.    Turned out he wanted the fixtures to be raised up a little so he wouldn’t hit them when he was walking around the house.  That is when my wife and I coined the phrase LOS = land of stupid.   But her uncle does smile alot.   555

[sqwakvfr]

15 hours ago, Aforek said:

may be the happiest country, but very cold weather and in winter in Helsinki it's night at about 2. pm 

I thought Bhutan was the happiest country?  Of coures the question is "where the heck is Bhutan anyway?"

[ikke1959]

3 hours ago, NorthernRyland said:

What's all this hyperbole about the military junta I always hear around here. In material terms what did he actually do to affect peoples happiness?

 

What I see is Thais in the city are just the same as Americans or anyone else now. Stuck in morning rush our pissed off, working some job that stresses them out to pay for bills and debt then using their spare time to buy cheap crap from China they don't need.

 

This is just urbanism and debt fueled consumption, nothing to do with the government. It's their own fault honestly but the entire world has gone this way. The people outside the cities are still the same as they were 20 years ago.

 

I am happy to notice that you have a good contact with the Thai people.. Almost everybody is complaining, which was different when I came to live here 20 years ago.. But in my own country happiness is still good according to the same survey. Although many problems with too many refugees and asylum seekers, Black Peet and slavery history, and higher taxes .... It depends I suppose how the Government is dealing with things, but what has the Government done to make people here happy?? A few things? Demonstrators in jail and bail denied.. no vaping allowed( although many do) The party that won the election ..... and surely not to forget reently the 10k wallet scheme that is being delayed and delayed .... and the non working RTP...there is a lot of unhappiness under the Thai people if you speak with them... 

[happydreamer]

People living in US haven't been happy in a while I'm surprised it took this long to score this low.

 

Life there has been miserable for over 10 years...I left in 2016 and have gone back a few times.  Each time I feel less and less like I fit there.  It's a weird cuz there's things I miss but I want to enjoy those things here.

 

 

[Bohemianfish]

The thai people got phones and Internet and found out how the rest of the world lives. 

[billd766]

20 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

Unfortunately the smiles are long gone in Thailand.. surely after 20 years management by military junta. And still no progress to enter the 21st century...and the poor daily wages and rising prices

 

Real smiles depend a lot on you, your attitude and your location.

 

If you out of the tourist areas, have a good polite and friendly attitude and are NOT a misery guys, then the smiles you get, are genuine.

[lordgrinz]

27 minutes ago, happydreamer said:

People living in US haven't been happy in a while I'm surprised it took this long to score this low.

 

Life there has been miserable for over 10 years...I left in 2016 and have gone back a few times.  Each time I feel less and less like I fit there.  It's a weird cuz there's things I miss but I want to enjoy those things here.

 

 

 

I reluctantly left the USA 9 years ago, and went back last year, I miss everything back there, and still hate Thailand with a passion.

[Purdey]

I guess happiness is just your perspective on life generally. But could political position have any bearing?

The top four

1. Finland
2. Denmark
3. Iceland
4. Sweden 

All Socialist (or Marxist, Communist depending on your education) and Finland has been number one eight years running. All of them came in the same position last year too. Happiness doesn't depend on free healthcare, but it helps.

No Purdey, Shirley there must be some mistake! Well, if Asean Now was a country it would likely be number 50. And stop calling me Shirley.

[Expat Tom]

Interesting. How does the fact the Finland has one of the higher rates of alcohol consumption per capita 

in the world factor into their happiness? Should we just drink more to be happier? Statistically, the Fins consume more booze per person than Thailand. Perhaps the Thais just need to drink more.

 

It least Thailand isn't boring. 

 

Finland, along  with Norway, Denmark and Sweden are also ranked among the 15 most boring countries in the world.

 

The takeaway from these two interesting facts are; If you are bored and drink yourself into a stupor then you will be happy! ? 

[Bangkok Alex]

So, the rank falls but they improved by 5 places?

[suspectdevice]

6 hours ago, Aussie999 said:

 I made the same comment on tik tok, 

You do know that tik tok isn't the real world?  😂

[Chongalulu]

20 hours ago, Harrisfan said:

Why do Fins look so miserable?

Listen to a lot Morrisey and the Smiths "heaven knows I’m miserable now. Music

 

21 hours ago, Harrisfan said:

Why do Fins look so miserable?

They listen to a lot of Morrisey. 😜 

[Chongalulu]

1 hour ago, Bangkok Alex said:

So, the rank falls but they improved by 5 places?

Ah that’s the Maths section in the Pisa educational tables