Happiness: South Asia
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2015
Apr 25 2015
Unhappy India ranks 117th on world happiness index
Chidanand Rajghatta
Happiness is a warm puppy to some, and to others, happiness is a long weekend when the alarm doesn't need to be set. Setting aside sticker wisdom, savants who survey the world's wellbeing now take into account a range of metrics that includes not just individual satisfaction and wealth, but also broad contentment: social support, healthy life expectancy , freedom to make life choices, perceptions of corruption, and Dystopia, a generally bleak place where things are going downhill.
All things considered, it doesn't look too good for India.Already rated an unhappy place in 2014 with a ranking of 111, the country dropped six places to 117 out of 158 countries ranked in the 2015 list, which took into account data from 2012-2015.
Switzerland, of whose people it was jokingly said they would have made the Alps flatter if they could, displaced Denmark from first place. Iceland, recovering from its economic meltdown, was placed second. Denmark, Norway , and Canada rounded off the top five. The US came 15th and China was ranked at 84.
The bottom 10 were what are broadly described as crisis states, wracked by disease or war: Chad, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Afghan istan, Rwanda, Benin, Syria, Burundi and Togo. At 81 and 109, Pakistan and Bangladesh, respectively , are positioned happier than India.
Happiness vs Human Development Index
India
2016: fitness and happiness in India cities
Mumbaikars Found To Be The Happiest
Mumbaikars eat unhealthy food and lead a sedentary life but they are a happy lot. A pan-India survey found out that nearly four out of 10 in the city may have high cholesterol levels--one of the biggest risk factors for heart disease. Yet, a mitigating factor could be that it is the happiest place compared with other big cities.
The survey carried out ahead of the World Heart Day rated Mumbai, Delhi, Chandigarh, Bangalore and Kolkata using a healthy lifestyle score--a cumulative indicator of factors, including eating habits, activity levels and happiness. The city shared the third position with Kolkata scoring 67, which means both can do better in eating healthy and adopting better fitness regimes.
Around 38% of Mumbai residents scored low on the lifestyle chart. The city scored a measly 31 on the active score and 51 on the eat better score. Delhi also lagged, whereas Chandigarh was found to be the most active city. But when it came to the happiness score (81), Mumbai beat all and even the national average of 55.
“What it means is that we may not be healthier but we are happier. The survey is a good indicator that people in the city need to work on their food habits and include more physical activity . Simple things like walking for five minutes about three to six times in a day can help,“ said endocrinologist Dr Shashank Joshi, who consults with Lilavati Hospital, Bandra.
Chandigarh scored the least on the happiness meter.The second lowest was Delhi.In Joshi's opinion, issues such as security could play an influential role in determining happiness. Looking into the fitness parametres, the questionnaire-based survey found out that Mumbaikars eat out more than any other city.
World Happiness Report 2016
The Times of India, Mar 17, 2016
India did not make any improvement in its happiness quotient, ranking 118th out of 156 countries in a global list of the happiest nations, down one slot from 2015 on the index and coming behind China, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Denmark takes the top spot as the happiest country in the world, displacing Switzerland, according to the World Happiness Report 2016, published by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), a global initiative for the United Nations. The report takes into account GDP per capita, life expectancy, social support and freedom to make life choices as indica tors of happiness. Switzerland was ranked second on the list, followed by Iceland , Norway and Finland .
The report said that India was among the group of 10 countries wit nessing the largest happiness declines along with Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Yemen and Botswana. India comes below nations like Somalia (76), China (83), Pakistan (92), Iran (105), Palestinian Territories (108) and Bangladesh (110). India had ranked 111th in 2013. The US is ranked 13th, coming behind Australia (9) and Israel (11). Rwanda, Benin, Afghanistan, Togo, Syria and Burundi were the least happiest countries, said the report.
