Happiness rating and happiness itself

Every year March 20 is celebrated as International Day of Happiness by the decision of the UN. The rankings of the happiest countries in the world have been determined for the last 10 years. In this regard, the report called "World Happiness Report" [1] is published every year. The ranking of the happiest countries in the world is announced based on the criteria defined by that report. When compiling this list, basic concepts such as financial gain, health, safety, corruption, and freedom are taken into account. The following are taken as the main criteria for determining the happiness index: GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, generosity, and perception of corruption.

The top ten countries in the report for this year (2023) were: Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Israel, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and New Zealand.

In the report, Azerbaijan ranked 88th in the list of 146 countries. In the rating list, Turkey is in 106th place, Iran is in 101st place, Georgia is in 90th place, Armenia is in 79th place, and Russia is in 70th place. The last places on the list are Lebanon and Afghanistan.

Happiness in Turkey: 2017-2023

Taking into account that the position of brother Turkey is important to us, it is worth paying attention to its ranking. In the top tier of the rating, the leadership in the last six years belongs to Finland. Israel, which was ranked 9th last year, rose to 4th place this year. The United States ranked 15th and the United Kingdom ranked 19th.

The ongoing Russia-Ukraine war in the post-Soviet space has had a serious impact on the ranking of both countries. Thus, Russia is ranked 70th, and Ukraine is ranked 92nd. Turkey also rose to 106th place, advancing 6 places compared to last year. When we analyze the report by years [2], we see that the best position for the brotherly country was in 2017. So, Turkey was in 104th place in 2021, 93rd in 2020, 79th in 2019, and 74th in 2018. Turkey's position is going down every year.

Distortion of the "happiness index".

I remember, 1 year ago, some MPs and privileged persons referred to the "Happiness Index" calculated to increase the socio-economic weight of holiday greetings. The results of the report were presented in such a way that it seems that while the whole world is in a zone of unhappiness, only Azerbaijan is in its comfort zone as a happy country.

That report was published by Gallup International. According to the report, the citizens of Azerbaijan were considered one of the countries with the highest economic hope index in the world. Surveys conducted by the organization in October-December of the current year covered a total of 41,560 people in 44 countries.

According to the results of the survey, 38 percent of respondents around the world believed that 2022 would be better than 2021, 28 percent believed that it would be more difficult, and 27 percent believed that there would be no major changes. Thus, the index of economic hope on a global scale suggests that it has decreased compared to last year.

The results of the index are considered to be a reliable indicator that measures expectations regarding the economic prospects of each country. The basic methodology of the known index was based not on the general well-being of the population, but rather on their economic expectations about the future. As we know, expectations about the future are formed based on the current situation. Therefore, since the results of the index are based on sociological surveys, they determine not only the economic capabilities of the country's citizens but also the socio-psychological well-being of people. Expectations express the moral and psychological state of people. It does not determine your living standards, income level, and social welfare. There is no direct connection between a person's happiness and his/her optimistic view of the future, there are indirect connections.

Isn't it understandable that the victory achieved by the bravery of the heroic sons of a society that has suffered from the past 27 years of occupation, while it has little hope for the future, creates confidence in the future in our society? Isn't this question important for living with hope for tomorrow? The fact that a society suffering from an inferiority complex has a superiority complex is not a factor of economic development and advancement, but a factor of spiritual and psychological growth.

Based on the theme of this report, I found it useful to share the results of some research on happiness in the world, so I found it useful to analyze this topic from different angles. Let's try to clarify how happiness is related to the level of income, wealth, well-being, and many other concepts. By the way, the world is also developing the topic of happiness as a broad research direction. Positive psychology, which began to be studied in depth, especially in the United States, studies the possibilities of the interaction of happiness with other factors.

The relationship between happiness and mood

A few years ago (2019), sociologists classified their research on happiness according to their degree of importance. They considered the following as the most important indicators of happiness: (i) health of oneself and loved ones; (ii) family, children, grandchildren; (iii) financial condition; (iv) family happiness; (v) good work; (vi) prosperity and stability of the country; (vii) love; (viii) mercy; (ix) peace of mind.

Each factor listed has its share in the happiness. However, at the same time, the effects of these factors on happiness are sometimes immediate and sometimes long-lasting. Of course, nothing lasts forever. So it is simply impossible to be happy all the time. But there are different studies on achieving lasting happiness.

One of them is called the sustainable happiness model. According to Ljubomirsky et al.'s (2005 a) happiness continuum model (referred to as the "happiness pie"), three main factors can explain individuals' happiness levels: (i) genetics and personality, (ii) living conditions, and (iii) conscious activities. Therefore, people should understand the importance of all three factors so clearly that they are aware that they do not have the power of influence separately.

There are significant differences between people being happy and feeling happy. There are people who have the signs of happiness they need but do not consider themselves happy. One of the most important concepts for happiness is that they cannot make sense of their lives. The results of a large-scale long-term survey conducted in the United States [3] show that people who find their lives meaningful face a lower risk of death over 14 years.

The relationship between well-being and happiness

The meaning of the concept of well-being is presented in a distorted form in many cases. When we say prosperity, it is understood as the fact that people live in clover and satisfy their needs more than their own biophysiological needs.

Although the definition of well-being has been debated for decades, it appears that a growing number of scientists are endorsing the World Health Organization's definition of mental health [4]. "Well-being is the ability of a person to realize his potential, to cope with the normal stresses of life, to work productively and efficiently, and to contribute to the community in which he lives." In other words, a person's ability to fully realize his potential can be characterized by numerous signs such as a decent salary, a job he deserves, and so on.

Well-being has a strong relationship with social characteristics. It means that happiness has a serious relationship with social well-being. Numerous studies prove that there is a strong connection between happiness and social life. The role of social support and integration is so great that sometimes it cannot even be compared with the influence of money. According to another study [5], a warm, caring, and supportive relationship between married people is more important than money: income has less influence on happiness than social support.

Happiness and money: what is the connection?

The scientific community is seriously thinking about the question of increasing the dependence on money for happiness. If the purchasing power of people in the world increases, it would be dilettantish to automatically call that family happy. Money plays an important role in our pursuit of happiness. However, to the question of increasing money commitment, serious researchers give relatively different answers in a thought-provoking manner. Studies show [6] that money increases happiness, but only in certain cases. Higher pay may stimulate higher commitment, but to achieve relatively simple goals. When the goal is difficult or very complex, skill level matters and cannot be increased by monetary rewards. Therefore, increased efforts may not give the desired result.

Numerous studies do indeed show some connection between happiness and money – specifically, having income, cash, spending and giving opportunities. Nevertheless, a comprehensive examination of these results revealed that there is a positive correlation between income and happiness, but that the effect ceases after reaching a certain (high enough) level of income. That is, it can lead to increased levels of happiness, especially for those on the poorer side of the scale. After basic needs and wants are met, more money does not make people happier. Higher income leads to lower negative emotions, especially sadness, fear, anxiety, and stress, but this effect also disappears after reaching a certain (baseline) income level. [7]

As a continuation and confirmation of this idea, especially in the United States and England, even though people's incomes have increased, the opportunities for happiness have not expanded in accordance with that income. Easterlin Paradox (Easterlin, 1974) on this topic attracts more attention of social sciences. The paradox is that over the past 10 years, people (especially in the West) have become richer, but happiness levels have remained stable. Easterlin (2005) suggested that it is more about hedonic adaptation and social comparison.

Interestingly, an increase in the income pie in a society does not improve the happiness indices of those countries. In Muslim societies rich in natural resources, rent income increases; however, people's happiness levels do not. The reason is that the increase in national income does not lead to its fair distribution. Income inequality is expanding faster than income growth. Tay and colleagues (2018) report [8] that income inequality leads to lower happiness, and this effect is particularly strong for poorer respondents.

So we need to create a society that "invests" in promoting happiness, well-being, strength, and resilience, as well as reducing stress and distress.

Sources:

[1] https://worldhappiness.report/ed/2023/

[2] https://www.paraanaliz.com/2022/raporlar/mutluluk-endeksinde-son-durum-ilk-100e-giremeyen-turkiye-daha-da-geriledi-g-26824/

[3] Хилл и Туриано, 2014

[4] Всемирная организация здравоохранения, ВОЗ, 2001, стр. 1

[5] Рона Харт, Позитивная психология: основы, TEAS Press, 2022, стр. 102

[6] Норт, Холахан, Моос и Кронкайт, 2008

[7] Рона Харт, Позитивная психология: основы, TEAS Press, 2022, стр. 39

[8] Рона Харт, Позитивная психология: основы, TEAS Press, 2022, стр. 4