If happiness could be measured...

Hi Mimpi.....Yes I agree with you that happiness cannot be measured.......But happiness is infectious and contagious and it can spread quickly and easily .A person is happy when he feels healthy and at peace with himself.And when he learns to love fellow human beings then it can spread like wild fire and wipe away hatred and greed and selfishness....Caring for others and making them happy will boomerang on each person and this can promote a feeling of harmomy and cooperation which will lead to activities that result in the collective good of mankind,which is what we see in the case of Costa Rica...In the US and Britain their attitude is different and the craving for power ,and supremacy has led to these ratings.... Believe me Mimpi...there is no need to waste time measuring happiness...but if you are feeling happy and can spread a little of it around,it only enhances your own happiness...........Its infact magical........

You cannot quantify happiness. Besides, it doesn't mean if they are ranked highest and other countries are far beyond then it makes other countries less happy.That is not true at all.

I think that a minister helping a dying man on the road in our country will definitely make us happy. And I think that we will definitely be happy when officials are cordial with the poor and refuse to accept bribe from them and to be better refuse to share the paltry sum they get from the Government. And we will definitely be happy when our women are free to walk in the streets without being howled at and without getting their chains snatched. Won’t we be happier when the officials stop raping the innocent lasses? We will be happy when the children are not abused. And I think that an aged Governor acting to his age and dignity will make us definitely happy. And if al l these and many others happen wont we be having immeasurable happiness in this country. Yes happiness of a country can be measured if the Government and ministers just do what they are supposed to do.

Hi dear! I have not come across this study. Though on the surface it sounds quite amusing and interesting, yet it is unclear how one can gauge happiness on a parameter or scale. I think they would have devised some yard-sticks to check the happiness quotient. Costa Rica being a small country, it would have been easier to do the survey. Let those survey people come to Kolkatta and New Delhi and check the happiness meter here..........lol! Have a nice 'evening'! Deepak PS - Please check my comments on 'sandwich - bhujia' (in my post)

Happiness or sorrow is not quantitative, and can not be ranked. Now i am the happiest man, than the one who is in Costa Rica, because it gives me TON'S AND TON'S OF JOY, AND MY JOY HAS NO BOUNDS WHEN I RESPOND TO MIMPI'S POST. Take care and have a good day.

Happiness really is a state of mind but like you mentioned, there are a lot of factors that could contribute in keeping this state of mind. Taking an extreme example, even if a person wants to be happy and is trying hard to be happy, he cant really do it on a daily basis most especially if he lives in an environment where buying ketchup from the corner store could very well end up in a hostage situation, mugging, or even murder. One wouldnt be happy if a person is fearful of his life just stepping outside on his front porch. I agree though that the criteria that you have mentioned doesnt really measure the happiness of a country. It would show a better managed country but that doesnt mean majority of the people are happy. It could contribute to their happiness but only the people themselves can answer that. So I think, with these kind of claims(a country's ranking in happiness) if different factors are a basis, then its not a good study. However, if these claims are backed up by testimonials, like those survey questionnaire results, then I would agree to it somehow.

I guess it sort of depends on how one defines happiness. Before the internet changed our lives we were happy without it, I think. But now I cannot imagine being happy without it. Same with other things. Costa Rica is a VERY beautiful country, but I cannot help feeling that the people there are probably very much like anywhere else. Some are happy, some are probably not.

Hi Mou sure happy cant be measured. but if u look at the factors mentioned, are factors which help abny person to stay mentally and physically satisfied with less fear and tension. if some one is provided with fresh air, free medical , proper security they dont have to think while going out, fresh food, nice facilities, no worries of job then for sure he will be happy and tension free if u compare to person living in poluuted city with going down economy and poorr security so all these parameters define satisfaction factor. Take care

I would imagine they are measuring the 'Happiness' based on the stress related illness levels in the countries. People who are less stressed, work for everything they have and appreciate what they have are going to be happier. People who have everything handed to them on a silver platter are not going to appreciate life as much, and while they might appear to be happy, their eyes will tell otherwise. I have a limited income, second hand furniture and have to rely on subsidised rent to house our family and my partner doesn't exactly work (unless you count online blogging which is causing us some headaches). We are happy. Our kids are happy. While we don't have the best of everything, we appreciate and make the most of what we do have. True happiness comes from appreating what we have, how we use things and by not having expectations of ourselves or others that are unreasonable. Most of the communities that are 'untouched' (live like they did centuries ago), are the happiest people in the world.

I feel like moving to Costa Rica!

Hey Sweet Mimpi, I think that measuring happiness by Countries is absurd. Happiness is an individual and personal part of our lives. Makes me wonder who they talk to in order to determine how happy their Country is. How does desolving their Military make them happy? Personally, it would make me feel vulnerable and extremely insecure. They may be happy because of all the money that all the tourists bring in. That I might believe. Leenie

If one will set a criteria about happiness, then one can measure it. But if one doesn't knew how to become happy, of felt the feeling even once, then it cannot be measured. How can a street child born without having felt comfort in his life would say he's happy. How can a dying person fell happy knowing that its too early for him to die. Many say, happiness is a choice. But how can one choices to be happy with the two examples I've given above?

hi friend, i think happiness cannot be measured but just we can enjoy and cannot be measured.

well,, for me happiness cant be measured.. it is a feeling of a person that no one can know what its degree.. telling that Costa Rica is the happiest country, well, maybe they just mesure how people their are being satisfied in their lives living in their country.. lol..

I would think so too. It's really difficult to measure happiness. However,Scholars and researches think they can measure it, atleast when it comes to countries. There's a whole science behind it which i had come across called Happy economics. They even devised a formula for it. But it's such a vast subject of research Mimpi, that it is still said to be subjective. There are so many factors that comes into considering these- Life expextancy, health, money, marriage, children, education, free time and more, and each of these are co relaed to the other. You can be more than satisfied in one aspect and yet be defecient in the other. What i mean is that one can say that one is happy to have a house and a family, but if one's health is suffering, can one be truly happy. Slightly deviating, i was surprised to know that there those trying to measure happiness online with a device called a Hedenometer by capturing information from blogs and tweets where people express themselves freely.

Hi dear! I have not come across this study. Though on the surface it sounds quite amusing and interesting, yet it is unclear how one can gauge happiness on a parameter or scale. I think they would have devised some yard-sticks to check the happiness quotient. Costa Rica being a small country, it would have been easier to do the survey. Let those survey people come to Kolkatta and New Delhi and check the happiness meter here..........lol! Have a nice 'evening'! Deepak PS - Please check my comments on 'sandwich - bhujia' (in my post)

Yes I agree that happiness cannot measured. Happiness is a self feeling of oneself satisfaction and contentment. It can be overjoy or appreciation. No one can really measure happiness because it is a feeling. Depends how you express those you got and put them to expressions.