Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/640308
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 14 FEBRUARY 2016 13 Money's not everything, except when it is Dr Marie Briguglio, an econo- mist who also chairs the Commu- nity Forum within the President of Malta's Foundation for the Wellbe- ing of Society, was confident about the 2015 World Happiness Index, saying that "in terms of quantita- tive surveying, this is as good as it gets". "[The Gallup World Poll] take large national samples, in many cases for three years in a row, and make the necessary adjustments to ensure the data is representative of the population if necessary. Al- though simple, the question gener- ates data which hold up when as- sessed for validity. The tests have been extensively documented – in economics, psychology, sociology. The question (or similar) is used in many, many datasets across the world (including Malta)," Briguglio added. Asked what she deems to be the most telling aspect for Malta to emerge from this report, Briguglio said that while the economy will remain a crucial factor, this should not be overstated. "This is precisely why measuring happiness has become an increas- ingly important way to assess how a country is doing – and how pol- icy making is faring. Because look- ing only at income (GDP, growth etc), while important, is incom- plete," Briguglio said, adding that what makes a nation a happy one is not just its financial prosperity, but also the ability to live a healthy life and environment, to enjoy so- cial support, to have freedom, to be governed without corruption and so on. "Boosting the economy, while damaging the envi- ronment (traffic, pol- lution, lack of open spaces), reporting lower health levels (respiratory issues, obesity, anxiety, depression) or in- creasing inequalities could well result in lower reported happi- ness," Briguglio added. Meanwhile, psycholo- gist Cher Engerer paints a more nuanced picture of the poll's generous charac- terization of Malta's social support net, claiming that while so- cial support in Malta is "adequate" it is still "not remotely comparable to the Nordic countries, especially when it comes to policies which support the connectedness of fam- ily units". "The feeling I get from the average client would be that most Maltese are frustrated with their standard of living and struggle to make ends meet. Attaining or not-attaining, as the case may be, a good work-life balance seems to be a constant bat- tle for most," Engerer said. While she applauds recent government incentives, such as free child care – "which frees mothers to re-enter the workforce" – she complains that less has been done to support families to afford to spend time relating to each other and build- ing attachments, "especially in the early years of family life". Engerer explains how, based on her experience with her clients, she discovered how some caregivers want to stay home with their chil- dren, "but cannot afford that luxu- ry". She also observes how inimical working conditions as well as social pressure of various kinds may be eating away at Malta's claims to- wards national happiness. "I also hear many complaints about the mentality of employers in Malta who treat their employees as dispensable commodities, investing very little in creating an environ- ment of happiness at work. Many employers drive employees relent- lessly to breaking point, showing little respect towards their employ- ees and conveying an attitude that they are doing employees a favour by employing them, as opposed to valuing the talent, potential and contribution of this individual to their organisation," Engerer said, adding that "religious, moral, or political dogmatic undercurrents" can also have a toxic effect. According to Engerer, "a cer- tain prescribed sense of how they 'should' be living their life" is a "very subtle form of impingement on people's freedom to make life choices through indoctrination, which is not always within a per- son's conscious awareness". "This causes obsessive compul- sive difficulties and severe anxiety, which again decrease happiness and are not conducive to overall health and well-being," Engerer adds. However, anthropologist Elise Billiard is sceptical about the me- chanics of the poll as a whole, call- ing into question this particular method of assessing happiness on a national scale. "As [Slovenian theorist] Slavoj Zizek said, 'Who wants to be happy when they can be interesting?'," Billiard quipped, before adding that the poll "is the mark of capital- ism infesting our lives: quantifying, cataloguing, comparing stuff that cannot be quantified, catalogued and compared." "Now, not only do we have to be rich, healthy and nev- er drink alco- hol or smoke – while we make sure to go to the gym regularly and eat only organic food, and engage in 'healthy' relation- ships – but we also 'have to' be happy!" Billard adds that pitching the en- tire poll as being about happiness is somewhat misleading. "To be fair, at least the poll is not based on the stupid question: 'Do you think you are happy?' but on 'objective' facts like corruption, life expectancy, GDP and so on. But saying it is about happiness is just marketing. This is about standard of living, not about happiness," Bil- liard added. News "As Zizek said, 'Who wants to be happy when they can be interesting?'" Elise Billiard Anthropologist A DIGITAL VALENTINE MARTINA BORG THE dating game has changed over the years, but never has it been more clinical in the way it approaches potential hook-ups: our busy, slightly antisocial lifestyles have been granted an easier way of dating with Tinder, the mo- bile phone app that is largely dominating Eu- ropean markets but also conversations by the water-cooler. For the uninitiated, Tinder allows users to swipe across profiles of aspiring dates geo- graphically located in their close vicinity. Pro- files include selected photos and some basic information, namely age, nationality and oc- cupation. You either swipe right if you like someone, or left if not interested in the per- son's profile. But if users have swiped right on each other's profile – and only then – a win- dow pops up to allow users to communicate with each other. It's this informal, game-like system that makes Tinder successful, and somewhat addictive… there's no pressure – after all rejection isn't so bad when it's not in person right? For even while judging people solely on their looks might be the hallmark of shallowness, don't people already 'swipe left and right' when they meet others in person anyway? At an estimated 50 million users worldwide, and eight billion matches made daily since its launch in 2012, something must be working right? Quite a few Maltese people also use the app. Many at the University of Malta that this Mal- taToday journalist polled admitted having succumbed to the curiosity of the app, while others admitted some deep connection could be made in the act of swiping. But by and large, scepticism at finding love on Tinder is pretty much the main emotion. "I installed Tinder out of curiosity, but I think most use it for fun. I doubt anyone takes it seriously," Lara Zerafa said, her friends Christine and Claudia Casha adding that it was ultimately a game of chance. "I'm not really sure it can ever lead to sig- nificant relationships, but you can never re- ally generalize. It may happen to a lucky few," Nehemie Bikin-Kita said. "I think it has different meanings for differ- ent people, and it ultimately depends on the person using the app," Kevin Micallef said. "Some people use the app because they feel like casually dating others, but a lot of people I know use it just to give it a try." If my friends' advice is anything to go by, a sure-fire tactic is to swipe right every single profile until a match hooks up… and then un- match the ones they don't like! Lazy dating, but effective perhaps. "I know a couple that is still going strong," Kevin Micallef added. Similarly, Michela Cremona said she knew of a couple that had "unexpectedly" met on the app and pursued a relationship later. Nathaniel Falzon and Charles Mercieca however suggest that the trend is already sub- siding, with most people of their generation no longer using it. "It's a useful way to meet new people, but Malta being such a small country, and social cir- cles running into each other the way they do, means that the chances of meeting someone com- pletely new are pretty slim," Charles said. It is a given that, in a commu- nity where local complaints are national news, Tinder users can run into each other on the street. How you deal with the ensuing awkwardness and cringing may be the mark of success: if you have matched then the app has served its function by clearing the air, but if you don't and you both know you're on Tin- der… then there is some embarrassment to negotiate. Dating apps have made swiping the act of looking for love, but maybe this is becoming a faster way to get people out of their comfort zones and strike up potential matches. Has not that always been what the game is really about? someone, or left if not interested in the per- son's profile. But if users have swiped right on each other's profile – and only then – a win- dow pops up to allow users to communicate with each other. It's this informal, game-like system that makes Tinder successful, and somewhat addictive… there's no pressure – after all rejection isn't so bad when it's not in person right? For even while judging people solely on their looks might match the ones they don't like! Lazy dating, but effective perhaps. "I know a couple that is still going strong," Kevin Micallef added. Similarly, Michela Cremona said she knew of a couple that had "unexpectedly" met on the app and pursued a relationship later. Nathaniel Falzon and Charles Mercieca however suggest that the trend is already sub- siding, with most people of their generation no longer using it. "It's a useful way to meet new people, but Malta being such a small country, and social cir- cles running into each other the way they do, means that the chances of meeting someone com- pletely new are pretty slim," Charles said. It is a given that, in a commu- nity where local complaints are national Are you swiping for a date today? WATCH our vox-pop at the University of Malta www.maltatoday.com.mt A sure-fire tactic is to swipe right every single profile until a match hooks up… and then un-match the ones they don't like! Lazy dating, but effective perhaps. Elise Billiard Photo: Zvezdan Reljic