Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/640308
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 14 FEBRUARY 2016 12 LIKE all words worth discussing, happiness is a loaded term. What does it mean to be happy? Is the much-talked-about 'pursuit of happiness' really all that there is to life? And could we ever reach anything resem- bling a consensus on what happiness can mean for people, and whether we can pin down specific goals that can help us achieve a state of long-lasting happiness? Not easy questions to answer – and thank- fully so… not least for the purveyors of self- help books and their offshoots, which basi- cally boils down to the business of how to manage people's unhappiness enough for them to keep paying you to continue spew- ing out your nuggets of wisdom. But on a less cynical note, there's also something to be said for the very subjective nature of happiness. All of us desire different things in life, and any society worth its salt should, in theory, allow us to pursue these desires as far as possible. The pursuit, alluded to above, is in fact made famous by the most enduring quote from the US Constitution, and which basi- cally boils down to: people should be able to do what makes them happy, so long as it doesn't actively hurt others or break the law. How much harder still it may be, then, to assess the happi- ness of an entire nation, country and even parts of a conti- nent? But that's precisely what many initiatives around the world are keen to attempt. The most headline-worthy of these initiatives would with- out a doubt be the prime minister of the United Arab Emir- ates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, announc- ing that he has appointed a 'minister for happiness'. "Governments must be flexible. We don't need more min- istries, but more ministers capable of dealing with change. We want a young and flexible government that will fulfill our youths' aspirations and achieve our people's ambitions," Sheikh Mohammed said at the World Government Sum- mit in Dubai earlier this week, before appointing Ohood Al Roumi, former head of economic policy for the UAE emir- ate of Dubai, to the post. Can we take this kind of catch-all approach to happiness as being legitimate and sustainable? The appointment of a 'minister of happiness' tends to strike us as a bit odd, if not downright hilarious. And it's perhaps telling that Sheikh Mohammed placed someone from the field of economics in this position, considering that, yes, money continues to make the world go round and that pros- p e r i t y will ar- g u a b l y be the m o s t o b v i - ous in- d i c a t o r for wide- spread con- tentment. But aside from the political rhetoric operating in the case of UAE, there have been more serious, and thorough, at- tempts at assessing happiness across the board. Produced by the United Na- tions's Sustainable Develop- ment Systems Network, the 2015 Happiness Report employed the Gallup World Poll to assess just how happy differ- ent countries around the world truly are, going on variables like GDP per person, healthy life expectancy, corruption levels and so- cial freedoms. Leading the pack is Switzerland, regis- tering strong GDP per capita and social support, closely followed by Iceland and Denmark. Malta registers 37th place – flanked by Spain and Taiwan – with GDP per capita and social support once again the strongest contributors to its na- tional happiness quotient, with 'perceptions of cor- ruption', 'generosity' and 'freedom to make life choic- es' falling on the other end of the scale. The very bottom rankings are reserved for mainly sub- Saharan African countries like Togo (the very bot- tom at 158), Burundi (157), Benin (155) and Rwanda (154); with Syria (156) and Afghanistan (153) also reg- istering quite low. Some of the most im- portant takeaways from the study are that, indeed, economic factors go some way towards explaining the most dramatic rifts. To wit: differences in income mark the clearest difference be- tween the countries at the top and the ones at the bot- tom. However, social cohesion also proved to be im- portant, since even countries that were affected badly by the 2008 economic recession – such as Iceland and Ireland – still managed a high rank thanks to their apparently strong so- cial bonds. So if this exercise is anything to go by, it's that crucial mix between money and compassion that can make or break any country's prospects of happiness. But how much sense does this poll make to the peo- ple on the ground, and what are its implica- tions for Malta? News Malta's 37th ranking in the United Nations's 2015 World Happiness Report has TEODOR RELJIC asking… why? Can happiness be nationwide? "A good work- life balance seems to be a constant battle for most." Cher Engerer Psychologist The pursuit of happiness? For the purveyors of self-help books it basically boils down to the business of how to manage people's unhappiness enough for them to keep paying you to continue spewing out your nuggets of wisdom. "Boosting the economy while damaging the environment... could well result in lower reported happiness." Marie Briguglio Economist Emir of happy? Dubai's ruler and UAE prime minister Sheik Al Makhtoum wants to create a 'minister for happiness'.