When it comes to happiness, culture plays a big role.
For years researchers have pondered whether or not happiness is a universal trait. Many have concluded that most people across the globe do desire some form and degree of happiness.
But that pursuit of happiness varies greatly depending on one’s culture and circumstances. For example, no surprise — very poor nations and those in dramatic political change invariably report the lowest levels of subjective well-being. Conversely, many of the wealthy and democratic Scandinavian countries consistently report the highest levels of happiness.
But a culture can also be poor in resources and rich in happiness as well. Latin American nations, as an example, appear to have a more positive orientation and value happiness more than other countries. At the other end of the scale, East Asian nations often place other values ahead of happiness, such as mastery and pleasing one’s family or group.
How we define happiness has as much to do with our cultural influences as it does with our personality, goals and other individual factors.
Source: Subjective Well-Being Is Desirable, But Not the Summum Bonum by Ed Diener and Christie Scollon
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