Thailand ranked 34th in world’s happiest country

[HerbalEd]

what do they do take t6he survey while distributing free shots of whiskey with beer chaser. hard to get those items to africa due to transport problems. what about those countries who drink little alchol are they down the list of'' happy chappies?''

Obviously you've never been to Africa. Whisky and beer are readily available in great abundance there. Also, alcohol doesn't produce happiness ... and often does the opposite.

[Benmart]

I am the happiest in my own world. Best wishes to everyone else.

[geriatrickid]

Something to be said about the benefits of living in democratic countries with a culture that frowns upon corruption and where social development policies and programs are considered an important part of the nation's well being. All of these countries are considered to be "socially progressive" aka liberal states, even though the people might elect governments with "conservative" names.

[angiolo]

happy is 555 555 555 and so on . The locals smile at me if I catch their eye. I dont see much unhappiness on the surface . I havent discussed their overdraft situation . Keep smilling

[Johnny S]

I do agree that a lot of Western European countries are in the top 10, with Germany and France/Belgium way too low.

Most people in other parts of the world, including the US, have no idea how great it is to grow up in societies with low crime rates, clean environment, social securities, more freedom of expression and speech (no Patriot Act) etc. The Americans call it 'nanny states', I would like to call it happy societies.

I must admit that I lived in one of the top 10 countries on that list in the 70's/80's and 90's, so I can not really judge about the quality of life nowadays.

Too bad these European countries are committing suicide by changing their population from christians to ..... you know! but I guess the welfare system is too much of a carrot for some foreigners that dosent belong in the western World ...

[Expat1]

"World Happiness Report 2015, a landmark survey of the state of global happiness,", who does this drivel. Every Swiss and Dane that I know are not very happy. When I go to Switzerland or Singapore they are a miserable lot. Seriously. Who did they poll in these places, tourists?

[ezzra]

Only 34th? I beg to differ... after my happy ending service, I'm the happiest person on the planet..

[lostinisaan]

Sorry I don't have a link. I googled and found a PDF, but it wouldn't let me save it.

PDF easily found, you have to scroll down a lot before getting to the actual list. Some puzzling results, like Israel (number 11) being happier than Austria and Luxembourg.

But please consider that they have a wall, where people can bang their heads on and nobody has a problem with it. Freedom pure.

Thailand should be the # one, listening to the general's speech two days ago.He wanted people help him to think.

Article 40 and approaching ASEAN will make Thais to the happiest people in Thailand soon.

[Time Traveller]

If only the very democratic (re: post#28) Thai government that came to power by will of the people could just make happiness mandatory by law. Jail all those unhappy people. Unhappiness is insulting the nation.

[blazes]

Ah the Great White North, I guess it doesn't just apply to Canada. I had a look at the whole chart, Thailand is second in all of Asia which has only three countries in the to 70.

And apparently there isn't a happy person in all of Africa.

The happy countries are mainly of European origin.

Sorry I don't have a link. I googled and found a PDF, but it wouldn't let me save it.

The Canadians are always happy because first they sold all of their booze to the US.

Now they sell all of their grass to the US and if things get really tough in the future they'll be able to sell their sense of humour to the US.

Soon the Canucks will be forced (by Uncle Sam) to sell their rivers to the Yanks. As the Soviet Russians did with a couple of their rivers, the Canadians will be forced to re-direct a river or two now flowing to the Arctic down to Californication.

[smotherb]

All of you who wish to know more, research it. You know it is called "The World Happiness Report 2015" You also know it is a United Nations report. Just google it instead of wondering.

[Jim walker]

You have to laugh when you see irrelevant surveys like this I would say more happy endings in Thailand in a year than in Switzerland, and at the moment more people laughing in Scotland watching our Westminster prime minister on TV speaking about SNP and wearing his giant crucifix and covered in garlic and sipping on holy water and fighting for his survival.

[angiolo]

I thought that our new PM considers this to be a happy country. He must really unhappy at 34th . He will surely improve this lowly position

[nidieunimaitre]

Of course we should not take these results to literally.....

But it is interesting to see that most of the happy countries are NANNY STATES (as some call them).

Lots of unhappy TV posters now I guess.

[nidieunimaitre]

Must be the Swiss Chocolate... every time I bring it with me, my Thai friends get VERY happy too...

Ah you should try bringing Belgian chocolate..... of course assuming that it is legal to buy it in Switzerland.

[catweazle]

...and falling...

[DrTuner]

I just wonder, if men in those Nordic countries are so happy to live at home why so many of them are moving to Thailand?

Weather was likely excluded in these rankings. Try freezing your nuts off for 9 months of a year and see your happiness index go negative.

[nidieunimaitre]

I just wonder, if men in those Nordic countries are so happy to live at home why so many of them are moving to Thailand?

Weather was likely excluded in these rankings. Try freezing your nuts off for 9 months of a year and see your happiness index go negative.

And let's be honest: we are all here because IT is cheap here.

"IT" will of course mean different things for different expats: housing, seafood, transport, and euhhh, something else that seems to slip my mind now.

[Plutojames88]

Australia 10th

[teebe]

"Having very broad and abstract goals may maintain and exacerbate depression. Goals that are not specific are more ambiguous and, therefore, harder to visualize. If goals are hard to visualize it may result in reduced expectation of realizing them which in turn results in lower motivation to try and achieve them." Rob Brezsny, Pronoia

At tropical latitudes the silence of mind is a must, from which descends a raw daily plan, like living in the present only. The western countries are embedded with the idea of forecast, strive for it, give the mind a lash with obvious consequences. Apparently no one cares, except for mental disease cases which are restricted in hospital and support houses. I learnt to stop my heart and mind here, probably was an aspiration I had before, when I lived in the west, metidation is a self healing practice that is starting to have followers over there. The west is driven by soprafaction, war, robbery and this is what is called capitalism that is not too different from other different culture behavior with only the difference that is the only lesson to learn since you born.

The list mentioned in the OP is not very important, perhaps is a government attempt aimed to get fresh immigrants, in the FB era.

[northernphil]

The LoS should move up a place when they de value the Baht. LoS will become a land of bigger smiles .

[Lupatria]

I am the happiest in my own world. Best wishes to everyone else.

If you live in LOS would you mind to share your drugs?

[Overcome]

In the immortal words of Spike Milligan money does not buy happiness, but does get you a better class of enemy.

[sirineou]

Nonsense

How does one gauge happiness on the regret, and what criteria does one use,to avoid a cultural bias

[retarius]

I'm a bit shocked at this. I find nothing but misery in the UK and US and there seems to be a lot of happiness in Thailand.

[MZurf]

I just wonder, if men in those Nordic countries are so happy to live at home why so many of them are moving to Thailand?

Since the misfits have moved away (and consequently not been polled) the happiness level in their home countries have increased. Elementary my dear Sojourner!

[balo]

I just wonder, if men in those Nordic countries are so happy to live at home why so many of them are moving to Thailand?

Good question , I'm Norwegian and my life became a lot happier after I moved to Thailand. I know a lot of unhappy people living in Norway , they work and have a good income but that's it really. They all dream of living in warm , tropical Thailand.

So this survey is more based on how wealthy you are I think. if you can afford to buy 3 big screen TVs for your home you must be happy.

[teebe]

I just wonder, if men in those Nordic countries are so happy to live at home why so many of them are moving to Thailand?

Good question , I'm Norwegian and my life became a lot happier after I moved to Thailand. I know a lot of unhappy people living in Norway , they work and have a good income but that's it really. They all dream of living in warm , tropical Thailand.

So this survey is more based on how wealthy you are I think. if you can afford to buy 3 big screen TVs for your home you must be happy.

I think the poll result is not for residents but for migrants, i.e, an Indian IT diplomate can find a job easily in the west, but which country? The list support the idea that if he moves to places like Canada he might find a good lifestyle. Without taking in count that once he started working he will always carry the burden of a second class citizen, the carreer will be very slow, in case of company crunch he will be the first to move etc etc. What seems wrong to residents is fine for migrants, it's called globalization of the capitalism.

[geriatrickid]

I'm a bit shocked at this. I find nothing but misery in the UK and US and there seems to be a lot of happiness in Thailand.

If you seek out misery to validate a personal bias you will find it.

Personal happiness is often a personal construct. National happiness is a reflection of the attributes of the nation.

[nidieunimaitre]

I just wonder, if men in those Nordic countries are so happy to live at home why so many of them are moving to Thailand?

Good question , I'm Norwegian and my life became a lot happier after I moved to Thailand. I know a lot of unhappy people living in Norway , they work and have a good income but that's it really. They all dream of living in warm , tropical Thailand.

So this survey is more based on how wealthy you are I think. if you can afford to buy 3 big screen TVs for your home you must be happy.

Perhaps you are like me?

I am happy in Thailand.

Because I had the luck to be born in a developed country, with an excellent education system, and high wages.

Be born and earn money in a modern country, later spend the money in a poor country is the key to happiness.

Unfortunately this is not an option for the Thais, that is why they score so badly for happiness.