Happiness is...

Well, I'm happy.

Maybe it's because my NY flu is finally fading. Maybe its because I'm back into my pleasant afternoon routine of cappuccinos and reading. Maybe it's because my work at Incidencia Democratica is challenging and satisfying. Maybe its because I enjoy the companionship of my friends and coworkers.

Or maybe.... it's because Guatemala is a happy place to be!

OK, I know what you're thinking:

1. The flu's fever brought about permanent brain damage, or

2. elcanche.com is now being subsidized by the Guatemalan Tourism Board, or

3. I've been inhaling way too much Guatemalan bus exhaust lately.

What about the crime? The poverty? The social conflicts? The exploding volcanoes? The... WHAT?

Yep, the day before returning to Guatemala, I came across this following news gem:

Alert in Guatemala as volcanoes become active

Jan 9 (IANS) Guatemala has declared a state of alert after three volcanoes in the Central American nation has become active again, almost simultaneously.

Hugo Hernandez, a spokesman for the National Disaster Management Coordination, said the preventive alarm was meant to keep vigilance over the three volcanoes, Pacaya, Santiaguito and Fuego.

Over the past week, the three have been spewing out lava, ashes and rocks in a low magnitude, forcing local inhabitants to be evacuated. This is after a gap of 31 years that the three volcanoes have become active almost simultaneously.

So, how can a country with simultaneously erupting volcanoes be a "happy place"? Well, read on...

Secrets of happiness emerge in international database on life satisfaction

January 4, 2005
By Julia Stuart

London: In an office in the creepily silent social sciences block at Erasmus University in Rotterdam, two researchers sit silently tapping keyboards. Standing is a bespectacled, bearded man dressed in black.

Professor Ruut Veenhoven does not at first appear to be the most charismatic of individuals, but he is a man many would be delighted to take into a quiet corner at a party. For the sociologist may well have something that each and every one of us is after: the secret of happiness.

For 20 years, Veenhoven, 62, the world’s only professor of social conditions for human happiness, has been collecting every scrap of reliable research relating to life satisfaction.

The result is the World Database of Happiness, comprising more than 8,000 findings from 120 countries, sorted and made available on the internet.

Divided into two parts, the first rates the happiness of 90 nations on a scale of 0-10, based on 2,498 general population surveys from 1946 to 2004.

The second contains 8,496 findings of the correlation between happiness and elements as diverse as looks, weight at birth, watching television and intelligence.

So what is the secret to happiness? The first step, says Veenhoven, is to live in the right place. Step forward Denmark, Switzerland and Malta, the happiest countries in the world, with scores of eight out of 10.

Iceland and Ireland would also be good choices, coming in at joint second with 7.8.

You may also want to consider Ghana, a surprise entry at number three with 7.7. Canada, Guatemala, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Sweden are at joint fourth with 7.6. Finland and Mexico follow at joint fifth, with 7.5.

“Happy countries are, typically, rich countries,” explains Veenhoven. “They are, typically, countries with a lot of freedom, well-governed and democratic and tend to be tolerant.

How does he explain the presence of Ghana, Guatemala and Mexico, not exactly known for perfect democracy or high gross domestic product?

“Maybe the data for Ghana is somewhat inflated because sampling is not perfect there.”

“But Latin American countries tend to be happier than you would expect them to be.”

So, there you have it. If you want to be happy too, you know where to find me! (You can sleep on my couch if you'd like.)

Posted by elcanche at January 12, 2005 03:48 PM