In surveys of the most desirable place to live on earth, Costa Rica scores high. People are also happy living there more than in the United States. What makes Costa Rica desirable and what can other places learn about this country’s desirability?
For those who enjoy the outdoors,
Costa Rica is seen as a paradise. It has 800 bird species, lots of fish, and eco-lodges surrounded by tall green trees. It is beautiful for many reasons and now wins in other categories, for being the happiest and greenest place on earth.
A British think tank conducted a study of 143 countries home to 99% of the world’s population and examined such factors as longevity and happiness. Costa Rica scored well above the United States in terms of biodiversity. The United States holds a ranking of 114 out of 143 countries, whereas Australia and Costa Rica are among the most desirable ecologically and environmentally.
As for happiness, Costa Ricans have a life expectancy of 78.5 years. 85% of those interviewed claim they are happy. This is in spite of poverty and problems related to prostitution. Sociologist Andrea Fonseca said in an Agence France-Presse story that perhaps the reason Costa Rica scores so high in the happiness area “has a lot to do with social imagination.”
In 2006 University of Leicester psychologist Adrian White pooled data from over 100 studies that looked at self-reported happiness all over the world. He put together a global projection of what is called subjective well being, ranking 178 countries according to how their people are satisfied with life expectancy, access to education, contentment, and health. At the time, the study found Denmark to have the highest satisfaction level in the world, mostly because of long life expectancy and relative earnings levels.
Switzerland and Austria were second and third on
2006 scales of happiness. Iceland was 4th, Finland 6th, Sweden 7th. Canada was 10th, the United States 23rd and Australia 26th. Folks in the UK placed 41st. China and India reported the least satisfaction levels as did Japan. The worst areas, according to happiness levels, were reported to be the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zimbabwe and Burundi, all countries in Africa where life expectancies are in the mid-thirties to early forties.
Now if you happen to live in a country where people aren’t very happy you can join a special organization that might help in this regard. The purpose of the
Secret Society of Happy People “encourages the expression of happiness and discourages parade-raining. Parade-rainers are those people who don't want to hear your happy news. And no, we don't tell people to be happy if they aren't or how to be happy. “The organization boasts a membership of “More than 7,000 people in 34 countries have joined the Secret Society of Happy People.” They claim you can get volumes of happy email daily just by signing up and getting involved.
